Postoperative Management for the Obese Patient

Abstract

Obesity results in physiologic changes that effect nearly every organ system, including respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, genitourinary, and neuropsychiatric. These changes are associated with complications in the postoperative period that the anesthesia provider must take into account when planning the anesthetic of the obese patient. Obesity is associated with obstructive sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, and restrictive-type changes in lung volumes that decrease the obese patient’s ability to compensate for the changes that take place with anesthesia. The anesthetic provider should conduct a thorough preoperative evaluation, ensure complete reversal of neuromuscular blockade prior to extubation to prevent obstruction, ensure adequate pain control without compromising respiratory function, and consider use of Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines for patients on home CPAP. Obesity is also associated with an increased risk of perioperative arrhythmias, thrombotic events, impaired wound healing, decreased kidney function, and postoperative cognitive decline. Anesthetic providers should make every effort to take steps in order to prevent these complications and be knowledgeable about their management should they occur. This review contains 3 figures, 2 tables, 37 references