Perioperative care of the patient with morbid obesity.

Obesity recently has been called an epidemic. In the United States, more than 60% of adults are overweight. Although obesity and morbid obesity share numerous etiological factors (eg, genetic, environmental, psychosocial, economic), accepted treatment options differ. Morbid obesity requires urgent and definitive correction to treat both current and possible future complications and to help prevent a probable shortened lifespan. Generally, it is accepted that nonsurgical approaches to weight loss for a person who is morbidly obese are unsuccessful. This Home Study describes the major surgical procedures currently available to treat morbid obesity and discusses the information that nurses need to know about perioperative care of patients who are morbidly obese.