Perioperative Pharmacologic Considerations in Obesity.

Obesity has increased in incidence worldwide. Along with the increased number of obese patients, comorbid conditions are also more prevalent in this population. Obesity leads to changes in the physiology of patients along with an altered response to pharmacologic therapy. Vigilant perioperative physicians must be aware of the unique characteristics of administered agents in order to appropriately provide anesthetic care for obese patients. Because of the variability in tissue content in obese patients and changes in pharmacokinetic modeling, a one-size-fits-all approach is not justified and a more sophisticated and prudent approach is indicated.