Obese Patient Airway Management

Are you really thinking to yourself, “This patient has twice the likelihood of developing serious airway problems” just because of some extra pounds? The likely answer is no, but the truth is that the obesity factor should be forefront in our minds as a risk factor associated with serious airway issues.

A major UK study shows that obese patients are twice as likely to develop serious airway problems when undergoing anesthesia, as compared to healthy weight patients. Obese patients are also more likely to die if they sustain airway complications while in the ICU. The report which is published in the British Journal of Anesthesia also shows that use of capnography significantly reduces the incidence of deaths and brain damage in ICUs. To read the entire article CLICK HERE.