Obese children with Blout disease or other musculoskeletal disorders may need special consideration for their unique overall health when undergoing elective orthopedic procedures. In a study of patients with Blout disease scheduled for surgery, researchers found a high prevalence of hypertension, according to the report. Approximately 25 percent of the patients were stage II hypertensive.
As a result of the report, the study’s lead author Todd A. Milbrandt, MD, recommended orthopedic surgeons test this patient population for hypertension and blood pressure before scheduling surgery.
Perioperatively, obese adolescent patients had a 70 percent complication rate following scoliosis correction surgery and recorded longer hospital stays. Dr. Milbrandt and his colleagues are now using wound glue with large, long butterfly stitches in addition to a subcuticular closure to decrease postoperative drainage, which is the most common complication for these patients.
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Orthopedic Surgeons Following New Protocol for Obese Adolescent Patients
Written by Laura Miller | February 16, 2012
As childhood obesity becomes a growing problem in the United States, orthopedic surgeons are preparing to treat these patients with consideration to their unique condition, according to an AAOS report.
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