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Current Anesthesiology Reports
Published in: Current Anesthesiology Reports 1/2013

01-03-2013 | Anesthetic Pharmacology (AG Doufas, Section Editor)

Anesthetic Pharmacology and the Morbidly Obese Patient

Authors: Jerry Ingrande, Hendrikus J. M. Lemmens

Published in: Current Anesthesiology Reports | Issue 1/2013

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Abstract

Anesthesiologists are increasingly being faced with treating obese patients. Physiologic and anthropometric changes associated with obesity—most notably increases in cardiac output, changes in tissue perfusion and increases in total body weight, lean body weight, and fat mass affect the pharmacokinetics (PK) of anesthetic agents. In addition, redundancy of airway tissue, obstructive and central sleep apnea and CO2 retention affect the pharmacodynamics (PD) of anesthetics and narrow the therapeutic window of numerous anesthetic drugs. Safe and effective pharmacologic management of the obese patient requires a thorough understanding of how obesity affects the PK and PD of anesthetics.
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Metadata
Title
Anesthetic Pharmacology and the Morbidly Obese Patient
Authors
Jerry Ingrande
Hendrikus J. M. Lemmens
Publication date
01-03-2013
Publisher
Current Science Inc.
Published in
Current Anesthesiology Reports / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 2167-6275
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40140-012-0002-5

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