NAMES IN THE NEWS

AAAHC Releases Updated Toolkit on Obese Patient Procedures

JANUARY 2021

To help ASCs implement necessary precautions and prevent negative outcomes for obese patients, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) of Skokie, Illinois, has published a fully revised Ambulatory Procedure Considerations for Obese Patients Toolkit, according to a January 25 press release.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity has nearly tripled worldwide since 1975 and is a “common, serious, and costly” issue. Increased obesity rates combined with an increase in the number and complexity of surgeries/procedures performed in ambulatory settings make procedural considerations for obese patients an important topic for ASCs, according to the release.

“As obesity rates continue to rise, providers should be evaluating obese patients on an individual basis to determine whether they can safely undergo surgery in an ambulatory setting,” said Noel Adachi, president and cheif executive officer of AAAHC, in the release. “Authored by experts in ambulatory care, our revised toolkit includes an updated evidence-based decision-guide for providers on when to move forward with ambulatory surgery and when to consider a hospital setting as more appropriate.”

The comprehensive flowchart serves as a preoperative evaluation resource for providers and is based on a patient’s body mass index (BMI), the level of sedation used in the procedure and the status of any preexisting diseases or disorders that could potentially complicate surgery, according tothe release. The toolkit also details up-to-date preoperative considerations for procedures involving obese patients who have recovered from COVID-19.