When your health care team talks with you about your weight before surgery, the goal is to keep you as safe and health as possible during and after your operation. These conversations are meant to support you, not to judge you.
Just like we talk about heart health with people who have heart problems, we talk about how weight may affect anesthesia (the medicine that puts you to sleep), healing, and recovery from surgery.
Every patient - no matter their body size - deserves respectful, high-quality care. Talking about these health factors like weight helps your care team give you the best support.
Carrying excess body weight can increase the risk of complications during and after surgery such as breathing or heart issues, blood clots, wound infections, slower healing, and longer hospital stays. Not everyone experiences these complications, but as BMI increases, the chances of certain risks may increase.
To reduce your surgical risk, your health care team may:
This helps your health care team create a personal plan for anesthesia, pain control, and recovery.
Doctors often use Body Mass Index (BMI), which compares weight to height, to help identify potential health factors before surgery. BMI can be helpful, but it does not tell the whole story because it does not consider:
This is why your health care team looks at other health measures like waist size, diabetes, heart health, sleep problems, strength, mobility (your ability to move around), and daily function.
You can do a lot to make surgery safer and recovery faster:
We know conversations about weight can be hard. Your health care team is committed to:
Learn more about healthy weight, healthy eating, and physical activity at Healthlink BC or Obesity Canada