DENYING OBESE PATIENTS JOINT SURGERY IS A DEAD END (Orthopedics This Week)
One might think that simply putting restrictions on elective total joint surgery for those who are severely overweight might encourage weight loss.
Not necessarily so, says new work from OrthoCarolina and Novant Health Bariatric Solutions. Such an endeavor requires a different, more problem solving and supportive approach, says new research.
The study, “What are the implications of withholding total joint arthroplasty in the morbidly obese? a prospective, observational study,” appears in the June 30, 2019 edition of The Bone and Joint Journal.
Bryan Springer, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at OrthoCarolina and co-author explained both the problem and the, perhaps, counterintuitive outcome to OTW, “We know that total joint arthroplasty in the morbidly obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) > 40) carries with it a higher risk of complications, including infection.”
“It has been our policy in our practice to restrict the morbidly obese from having elective total joint arthroplasty until they could optimize their weight. We were curious however how often these patients were ...
