Morbid obesity and nutrition support: is bigger different?

Morbid obesity (body mass index >40 kg/m2 or >35 kg/m2 in the presence of an severe-obesity-related comorbid disease) is increasing in frequency in the United States and worldwide. This population has a variety of medical and surgical disorders that result in hospitalizations. It is not unexpected to encounter these patients on the nutrition support service. The obesity comorbid diseases that may increase complications related to nutrition support are present in greater frequency and severity in the morbidly obese population than in the nonobese population. To reduce these potential complications, strategies of hypocaloric nutrition have been advocated for obese patients, and this study focuses specifically on the morbidly obese subset.