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Bariatric trauma: a thread. Morbidly obese patients (BMI>40) have 6 x 
mortality after trauma. They have chest injury, pelvic #, extremity # and 
TBI or abdominal injury compared to non-obese patients.
mortality after trauma. They have chest injury, pelvic #, extremity # and TBI or abdominal injury compared to non-obese patients.
There are challenges from the effects of weight & comorbidities on physiology, access to imaging & limitations to definitive diagnosis, appropriate sized equipment & safe manual handling. Every service must think ahead how they will ensure the pts safety, comfort & dignity.
Here are some AcBCDE considerations when looking after a major trauma patient who is morbidly obese.
Do you know the weight limits of your equipment? More commonly the problem is that the patients circumference is too large. This prevents the patient fitting in a vacuum mattress or safely moving through the CT scanner. It’s worth checking your departmental equipment stats now.
