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Obesity in Critical Care

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Abstract

Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 m/kg2, is increasing in incidence, with more than one-third of American adults in the United States classified as obese and numbers projected to increase. Worse outcomes have been noted in both underweight (BMI <18 m/kg2) and obese critically ill patients. Other studies have associated obesity as an independent risk factor for mortality in the ICU. In addition, morbid obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of organ failure after trauma in the critically ill patient. Given the current obesity epidemic, the number of critically ill obese patients will continue to increase, and a greater understanding of the physiologic challenges associated with obesity in this setting will be needed. This chapter will discuss the multiple intersections and interactions between obesity and critical illness, as well as optimal evaluation and management strategies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Boston, MA, USA

    Julietta Chang

  2. Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Stacy Brethauer

Authors
  1. Julietta Chang
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  2. Stacy Brethauer
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Correspondence to Stacy Brethauer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham and Womens’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Ali Salim

  2. Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

    Carlos Brown

  3. Division of Trauma Surgery, Rm C5L100, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Kenji Inaba

  4. Trauma and Emergency Surgery Service, Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Matthew J. Martin

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Chang, J., Brethauer, S. (2018). Obesity in Critical Care. In: Salim, A., Brown, C., Inaba, K., Martin, M. (eds) Surgical Critical Care Therapy . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71712-8_52

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71712-8_52

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71711-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71712-8

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