Controversies in the Anesthetic Management of the Obese Surgical Patient

SECTION 1: Introduction 1.Should Anesthesiologists Managing Morbidly Obese Patients Receive Special Education and Training? 2.How should obesity be measured and how should anesthetic drug dosage be calculated? SECTION 2: Preoperative Concerns 3.What are the Important Perioperative Risk Factors for Morbidly Obese Patients? 4. Does Every Morbidly Obese Patient Need a Complete Preoperative Workup? 5. What Should an Anesthesiologist Know about the Metabolic Syndrome? 6.Is a Full Cardiac Workup Indicated For Morbidly Obese Patients With Cardiac Disease? 7.How and When Should Diabetes in the Obese Patient be Treated? 8.How Should You Manage Anti-Hypertensive Drugs in Morbidly Obese Surgical Patients? 9. Should all Morbidly Obese Patients be Evaluated for Obstructive Sleep Apnea? 10.Are Morbidly Obese Patient at Increased Risk for Gastric Acid Aspiration? 11. What is the role for pre-operative physical training and respiratory kinesitherapy in obese surgical patients? SECTION 3: Intraoperative Management 12. Which Intraoperative Monitors are Essential for the Obese Surgical Patient? 13. What is the Optimal Position for Induction of Anesthesia for a Morbidly Obese Patient? 14. Do all Morbidly Obese Patients have a "Difficult" Airway? 15.What is the Best Way to Induce General Anesthesia in Obese Patients? 16.Do Supraglottic Airways have a role in the Anesthetic Management of Obese Patients? 17.Is Protective Lung Ventilation Safe in Morbidly Obese Patients? 18.Does choice of inhaled anesthetic agent matter? 19. What is Optimal Fluid Management of the Obese Surgical Patient? 20. What are the Challenges of Laparoscopy in Morbid Obese Patients? 21. Is there a role for regional anesthesia in the obese patient? SECTION 4: Postoperative Concerns 22. Should obese surgical patients be recovered in an ICU or PACU? Should all postoperative MO patients be monitored during their entire hospitalization? 23. Is opioid analgesia safe after surgery? 24. What is the Role of Analgesic Adjuncts in Obese Patients? SECTION 5: Other Controversies 25. Can Morbidly Obese Patients Safely Undergo Surgery at an Outpatient Surgery Center? 26. What Physiological Changes Occur After Bariatric Surgery and Are They Important to the Anesthesiologist? 27.Which anesthetic (general or regional) is safest for a caesarean-section in a morbidly obese parturient?

From the book reviews:“This book addresses an interesting topic area, and one which has gained increasing focus both in the professional and lay press over recent years. … it is an excellent resource for somebody new to the field or who is an ‘occasional’ bariatric anaesthetist. I would recommend it to trainees preparing for the fellowship, but also as CPD for consultants and career grades who are engaged in ‘occasional’ bariatric practice.” (M. Bellamy, British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol. 113 (6), December, 2014)“Each chapter, written by a different set of experts, is presented as a controversy in the management of the morbidly obese. … those who wish to read a review of expert opinions and current literature in the field of morbid obesity will find the text useful. … the editors have produced a book that consolidates the current literature and expert opinion pertaining to the perioperative management of the morbidly obese.” (Albert Moore, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie, Vol. 60, 2013)