Orthopedic Surgery on Bariatric Patients

Presenter: Mac Cohen, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum, I worked at Tri-state Orthopaedic Specialists in Cumberland, Maryland as an intern. My work included assisting nurse practitioners and physician assistants in performing outpatient care by recording patients' vital signs. Additionally, I took part in data analysis regarding the success rate of joint replacement surgeries on bariatric patients exceeding a BMI of 30. I observed the differences in mobility in different stages of the recovery process for patients who routinely performed their physical therapy exercises and compared the results to patients who did not. I learned that the success rate of joint replacement surgeries on bariatric patients with BMIs of over 30 have significantly diminished success rates compared to patients who are not obese, as each pound of body weight exerts four pounds of pressure on the hip and knee joints. This poses an issue to the validity of arthritis-related joint replacement surgeries, as bariatric patients are also more susceptible to developing arthritis. The relevancy of bariatric surgery success rates has public health implications, as the incidence rate of obesity, and thus obesity-induced rates of osteoarthritis increase with the increased access to processed foods. Because of this, the populations of the United States and many western European countries suffer from increased prevalences of obesity-induced osteoarthritis, increasing the need for joint replacement surgeries.