9 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9
I
n turning away patients who are above a certain BMI, is your
cutoff a sliding scale that edges outward as the obesity epi-
demic worsens? You're hardly alone if what started as a BMI
limit of 35 has creeped up to 40, to 45 and even ballooned to
50. You're under more pressure to accommodate overweight
patients, but the stakes in accepting them are high. Let's examine 10
keys to doing so safely.
A Weighty Problem
Over half of all Americans are overweight or obese.
Here's how to keep them safe and comfortable during surgery.
• OBESITY IN THE OR The rise in obesity presents significant challenges to surgical facilities from financial, clinical and even
ethical perspectives.
Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor