Postoperative pain management of the obese patient

In the obese patient, the goal of postoperative pain management is provision of comfort, early mobilisation and improved respiratory function without causing inadequate sedation and respiratory compromise. The pathophysiology of obesity, typical co-morbidities and the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) amongst obese patients make safe analgesic management difficult. In particular, pain control after bariatric surgery is a major challenge. Although several reviews covering anaesthesia and analgesia for obese patients are published, there is mainly expert opinion and a paucity of evidence-based recommendations. Advice on general management includes multimodal analgesic therapy, preference for regional techniques, avoidance of sedatives, non-invasive ventilation with supplemental oxygen, early mobilisation and elevation of the head of bed to 30 degrees. Finally, with regard to monitoring, sedation scoring is most relevant, but there should be a low threshold for continuous pulse oxymetry, arterial blood pressure measurement and placement in a high-dependency area for the postoperative period.