Management of the obese critical ill patient

Data from recent surveys indicate that a staggering 54.9% of the adult population in the United States is overweight. Obesity increases the risk of morbidity from cardiovascular diseases and the risk of death from all causes. With the increasing prevalence of obesity in the general population and the disease burden of the obese, it is not surprising that many obese patients are treated in intensive care settings. The critically ill obese patient presents the critical care team with many unique problems. The purpose of this article is to review some of the basic concepts related to the management of obese patients in the ICU.