Fast wake-up time in obese patients: Which anesthetic is best?

Excerpt

Obesity has become an epidemic of global proportions with more than a third of the North American population being clinically overweight or obese.1 Anesthetizing obese patients can often be challenging as they have a higher incidence of comorbidities2 and an increased risk of a difficult airway.3 Furthermore, obese patients are prone to intraoperative pulmonary complications4 and acute upper airway obstruction and aspiration following tracheal extubation at the end of surgery.5 Obese patients have a higher incidence of sleep apnea and develop hypoxia during the early postoperative period.6 A faster recovery from anesthesia may decrease these risks by reducing the time patients require to resume control of their spontaneous breathing, restore airway protective reflexes, and regain efficient coughing. …