The medical and surgical care of obese
trauma patients presents a variety of unique and important challenges. Over the past 30 years, this population has increased dramatically in number, and the optimization of their care demands the attention of the medical community. The problems of caring for an obese
trauma patient begin before the actual traumatic event occurs due to their substantially higher incidence of serious comorbidities, such as
diabetes mellitus,
hypertension, and cardiopulmonary issues. In the setting of
trauma, important considerations for the obese patient include careful and expeditious preoperative medical optimization; appropriate
deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis; planning for and preventing operative and postoperative challenges (eg, pulmonary and
wound complications); and ensuring adequate
hospital equipment and staffing resources in the acute and rehabilitative phases of care. This article outlines the scope of the
obesity epidemic, reviews the medical consequences of
obesity, and highlights surgical considerations specific to the care of orthopedic
injuries in the obese
trauma patient.