Anesthetic drugs and bariatric surgery

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. For severely obese patients, bariatric surgery is the only effective option for sustained weight loss and associated health improvement. As a consequence, the number of bariatric surgical procedures being performed is growing exponentially. Systematic knowledge regarding the effect of obesity on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anesthetic agents is generally lacking, and data for morbidly obese (body mass index [BMI] 40-49 kg/m2)) and super-obese patients (BMI > 50 kg/m2) are almost completely non-existent. Most drug-dosing guidelines are based on results from relatively small studies in moderately obese patients. Future systematic pharmacological research is needed for improved and more rational peri-operative care of morbidly obese patients.