If you need total hip or knee replacement surgery, and your weight is significantly higher than recommended, your doctor may advise you to lose weight before your surgery. Although you may feel healthy and in good physical condition with your current weight, studies indicate that a patient having BMI greater than 40 is more likely to have serious complications during and after surgery than a normal-weight patient. Your doctor always wants you to be aware of these uncertainties so that you can take steps to minimize them before your procedure.

Health conditions that can affect surgery

Obese patients suffering from certain diseases and health conditions that increase the risks of surgery. These include:

        Cardiovascular disease, including hypertension

        Type 2 diabetes

        Obstructive sleep apnea

   Metabolic syndrome: a group of health conditions that increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

It is essential to have the best possible health before your surgery. If you have any of these conditions, your consulted doctor of obesity surgery hospitals will work with you to make sure they are controlled before your procedure.

Increased risk of complications

There are risks associated with all surgeries. However, some risks are greater in patients with obesity.

Complications during surgery

        Anesthesia- It is more difficult to administer anesthesia to a patient with obesity. Complications can be due to the body shape and the patient's anatomy or health conditions that affect breathing. The challenges for anesthesiologists include:

        Locate the veins to administer general anesthesia and the necessary medications

        Ensure that oxygen and air flow are sufficient

      Proper positioning of the needle when administering an epidural and spinal nerve block, and other types of local anesthesia

        Surgical times. There are technical difficulties linked with performing surgery on a patient with obesity, so the surgical time is often longer. In general, the longer you are in surgery, the greater the risks of having complications.

Complications after surgery

Compared with a normal weight patient, an obese patient is more likely to have the following complications after surgery:


        Poor healing of the wound

        Difficulty breathing

        Blood clots

        Pulmonary embolism, that is, a blood clot in the lungs.

Results after joint replacement

Joint replacement helps relieve your pain and allows you to have a fuller and more active life. However, if you suffer from obesity, you may never achieve the increased mobility and range of motion that a normal-weight patient would have.

You may also have more complications from the implant and prosthesis after surgery, including:

        The component is released and fails

        Dislocation of joint replacement, especially in the hip

        In some cases, a second "revision" surgery may be necessary to remove the failed implants and replace them with new ones.

In most cases, total hip and knee replacement are elective procedures. For this reason, obesity surgery hospitals in India may recommend that you try non-surgical treatments, such as medications and physical therapy, in order to delay your joint replacement surgery. This will give you time to lose weight and reduce your BMI before your procedure.