Staying Healthy
Ask the doctor: Is abdominal surgery riskier if I am overweight?
Q. I am overweight and need abdominal surgery. Does being overweight make the surgery more difficult and add to the complication rate?
A. We all have a fair amount of fatty tissue in our abdominal cavities that surgeons must deal with during abdominal operations. The more fat you have, the more difficult the operation is for the surgeon. Excessive fatty tissue impairs access to the surgical site. It can also make the surgery itself — the cutting of tissue — more complex. Operations on obese patients tend to take longer for these and other reasons.
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