[Anesthesia for bariatric surgery: retrospective evaluation and literature review]

Surgical treatment for morbid obesity is an effective way to maintain weight control in the long run. This study aimed at compiling complications, co-morbidities and major anesthetic aspects of patients submitted to bariatric procedures and at comparing results with data in the literature.

This study has reviewed the literature and retrospectively analyzed the records of patients submitted to bariatric surgery between September 2001 and December 2004. All patients were submitted to the laparotomy Capella technique performed by the same surgical team in the same hospital.

Females were predominant, mean age was 39.6 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 44.65 kg/m(2). Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) was the most prevalent associate disease and complications observed were subclavian vein thrombosis, pulmonary infection, residual neuromuscular block, postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction and anastomotic dehiscence. Mortality rate was 0.7%.

Diseases such as SAH and osteoarthritis are highly prevalent in obese patients. There were major postoperative respiratory system complications. This stresses the importance of the anesthetic technique and of postoperative analgesia allowing for early ambulation and the ability to normally breathe and cough. It has been observed that several aspects of anesthesia for obese patients are already defined as beneficial or noxious; however, several subjects are still undefined and should be discussed and studied to constantly improve the anesthetic management of such patients.