Considering the Larger Patient in the Operating Theatre - What do You Need to be Aware of?

Whilst there is often a BMI limit for day case surgery and minor procedures, the fact remains that on the whole our patients are getting larger across all surgical disciplines, and there are extra considerations we need to be aware of within the operating theatre department.

Although BMI is not an ideal measure of risk, it is the most useful of the currently available markers and is a simple measure to apply (Shmerling 2020). However, it shouldn’t be used as a sole indicator of surgical suitability – or risk.