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operatively. The advice presented is based on previously published
advice, clinical studies and expert opinion.
....................................................................................................
This is a consensus document produced by expert members of a Working
Party established by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and
Ireland and the Society for Obesity and Bariatric Anaesthesia. It has been
seen and approved by the elected Board/Council of both organisations.
All AAGBI guidelines are reviewed to ensure relevance/accuracy and are
updated or archived when necessary. Date of review: 2020.
Accepted: 10 March 2015
• What other guidelines and statements are available on this topic?
The first Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
(AAGBI) guidelines on the peri-operative management of the obese
patient were published in 2007 [1]. In 2012, a consensus statement
on anaesthesia for patients with morbid obesity was published by the
Society for Obesity and Bariatric Anaesthesia (SOBA) [2]. The Centre
for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) and the Royal College
of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have published joint
guidance on management of women with obesity in pregnancy [3].
•
Why were these guidelines developed?
There is an increased recognition that obese patients present a different
set of challenges and require specific peri-operative care compared
with non-obese patients. These guidelines are intended to
inform anaesthetists about best practice management of obese surgical
patients throughout the peri-operative period, as members of a
multidisciplinary team.
•
How does this statement differ from existing guidelines?
These guidelines include new material on several topics including pharmacology,
positioning and sleep-disordered breathing. The advent of bariatric
(weight treatment) surgery has produced a subgroup of
anaesthetists with more specific experience in the management of obese
patients. The Society for Obesity and Bariatric Anaesthesia was set up in
2009 to share the knowledge gained from bariatric anaesthesia to improve
the anaesthetic care of obese patients in general. This experience forms the
basis of these guidelines.
2 © 2015 The Authors. Anaesthesia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
on behalf of Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland