The Hazards of Surgery in the Obese

Obesity is an additional risk factor in surgical patients. The mortality rate in obese patients is high (3.6% in my series) and the morbidity is much higher. These patients may be prediabetic, diabetic, hypertensive or atherosclerotic and they are liable to develop postoperative coronary thromboses and chest complications such as acute massive collapse of the lung or bronchopneumonia. In upper abdominal operations, they are more liable to develop septic wounds and postoperative distension. Thrombo-embolic phenomena are more pronte to develop in the obese. Intraoperative bleeding is particularly frequent in obese patients with hypertension, atheroscleroses and fatty liver. Surgery in severe obesity should be limited to emergencies. Elective surgery is not recommended unless it is mandatory, e.g. to reduce weight in hard-core obesity which resists expert medical treatment. Many hard-core obesity cases have psychological problems and require special pre- and postoperative psychological care.