A morbidly obese patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) has a number of problems that need to be watched for.
Potential problems that may be faced by a morbidly obese patient in the ICU:
(1) difficulties in oxygenation with hypoxemia (sleep apnea, diaphragmatic dysfunction, etc)
(2) aspiration pneumonia
(3) other healthcare-associated infections (HAI)
(4) pressure ulcers
(5) deep vein thrombosis and thromboemboli
(6) malnutrition
(7) diabetes mellitus
(8) non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
(9) inappropriate drug dosing if based on total body weight
(10) delayed mobilization
(11) difficult vascular access
(12) increased risk for systolic and/or diastolic dysfunction with heart failure
(13) difficult hygiene
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Specialty: Critical Care, Emergency Medicine
