Nutritional disease

• Published in: Canine and Feline Anesthesia and Co-Existing Disease pp. 175 - 178
• Main Author: Snyder, Lindsey B.C
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 2014; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: anesthetic drugs; anesthetic induction; body mass index (BMI); breathing; cardiac index (CI); companion animals; morbidity; obesity; universal size descriptor
• ISBN: 1118834305; 9781118834305; 9781118288207; 1118288203
• DOI: 10.1002/9781118834305.ch9

Obesity is the most common medical condition in companion animals and is associated with a number of comorbidities. Anesthetic induction is a demanding period regardless of the patient's body mass index (BMI). With an obese patient, morbidity causes induction to be even more delicate. With induction and intubation, obese humans have a proportionately greater decrease in cardiac index (CI) than lean individuals. Despite the growing obese population, clinical studies have, thus far, unsuccessfully defined a universal size descriptor suitable for use in the obese population. For this reason, titration to clinical end points or the use of the bispectral index remains prudent. In the postoperative period, the depressant effects of analgesic and anesthetic drugs on the respiratory system can negatively impact patient safety. The work of breathing is greatly increased postoperatively because of the increase in body mass required to move while breathing.