Obesity Summit and AAOS

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and 33 other medical societies, held the Second Annual Obesity Summit in Chicago in September.

The group met to identify opportunities for collaboration in treating obesity.

“We represent many different specialties, backgrounds and perspectives, but we’re all really treating the same disease, ” said ASMBS President John Morton, M.D., MPH. “That’s why there is intense and growing interest in how we can work together to better help our patients with obesity and related diseases. Obesity is the medical equivalent of economic inflation—obesity increases costs and decreases the effectiveness of medical interventions. We are paying for obesity already. Let’s coordinate and provide care the right way.”

The American Medical Association has classified obesity as a disease.

Orthopedics and Obesity

AAOS says it recognizes that obesity is not a choice, “but rather a complex, multifactorial process that affects a large number of patients and in most cases contributes negatively to their musculoskeletal problems. Our approach to these patients should encompass aid in the medical management of the issues associated with their obesity, as well as the potential surgical care that can help with both their general health as well as specific musculoskeletal problems. Likewise, it is equally important to assure the safety of healthcare facilities addressing those situations specific to the obese patient.”

AAOS Educational Tool

AAOS has issued an Information Statement about obesity and musculoskeletal care and developed an educational tool. Click here to read the statement.

According to the statement, obesity negatively affects orthopedic management of nearly all musculoskeletal disease processes. Numerous orthopedic studies have concluded that the burden of obesity is significant on a variety of outcome measures including infection risk, non-union, persistent pain, cost, and implant failure.

In citing one of many examples, the statement notes that obesity has a direct result on the development of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joints. In the knee, the Canadian Joint Registry data reported that the need for having a total knee arthroplasty was 8.5 times greater for individuals with a BMI > 30, 18.7 times more likely for those with a BMI > 35, and 32.7 times more likely in patients with BMI > 40 compared to individuals of normal weight.

The statement also addresses issues related to total joint arthroplasty, pediatrics, spine, shoulder and elbow, hand, foot and ankle, sports and arthroscopy, malignancies, trauma, advanced imaging and office-based/care setting concerns.

There’s another excellent article titled: “Obesity linked to increased risk for orthopaedic conditions and surgical complications” on the AAOS website.