Key takeaways:
- Patients with morbid obesity are at an increased risk for infection.
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for weight loss could help optimize patients with obesity for total joint arthroplasty.
WAILEA, Hawaii — At Orthopedics Today Hawaii, David G. Lewallen, MD, spoke about management of the morbidly obese patient undergoing total joint arthroplasty.
“The problem is mostly increased risk of infection. [For] patients who are obese, especially the morbidly obese, it’s not the case that there are major problems with breakage or loosening or wearing out joints to implant materials and fixation is fairly robust with some exceptions,” Lewallen said.
Lewallen said that obesity is like other comorbidities patients present with, and part of the job of orthopedic surgeons is to work collaboratively with other specialists to get patients in the best state they can be before surgery.
Published on September 17, 2024
