Trauma in patients who are morbidly obese

Trauma is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. There is an eight-fold increase in mortality rates among victims of blunt trauma who are morbidly obese. Airway, circulation, and breathing mechanisms are altered in patients who are morbidly obese, which makes assessment and treatment difficult. Normal diagnostic and treatment procedures performed in the field and hospital must be modified. Some treatments or diagnostic procedures cannot be performed in the average hospital setting on patients who are obese; therefore, perioperative nurses must modify OR routines to provide care. AORN J 76 (Oct 2002) 585-589.