The tissue composition of surgical weight loss

Abstract

Weight loss is a commonplace accompaniment of major illness or injury, which has been one of the earliest physical signs to be recognized by friends and relatives even before it is evident to the patient himself. The extent of the weight loss is generally proportional to the severity of the illness or injury. Adult subjects vary in the rate of weight loss after injury, in relation to age, sex, body size and previous nutrition. The young adult male who is heavily muscled will have the most rapid and extensive weight loss after a given injury, in contrast to the female, the elderly, and the poorly nourished whose weight loss tends to be less for a given injury, it is of interest that weight loss is so commonly recognized and yet receives relatively little attention in clinical management. Some of the reasons are self-evident. The medical history of a hospital patient seldom includes a careful history of body weight; in fact, the patient may be too ill or too poorly informed to provide such information upon admission. The physical examination often fails to include a body weight (especially emergency admissions) or may have a single weight with no information as to whether this was before or after urination, what clothing was worn, etc. The accuracy of most hospital scales is questionable because of infrequent adjustment and calibration.