Obesity for the most part does not increase the risk of post-surgical complications, and there is no reason why surgeons should not proceed with operations on obese patients needing surgery, according to Swiss researchers.

"Obesity causes substantial levels of illness and death in the general population, but forcing obese people to lose weight before surgery or withholding surgery is simply not supported by our findings," said Dr. Pierre-Alain Clavien of University Hospital Zurich.

Reporting in the journal The Lancet, Clavien said a 10-year study of more than 6,300 patients undergoing general elective surgery found that post-operative complication rates were approximately 15 to 16 percent whether patients were mildly obese, severely obese or not obese.

He reported that the rate of wound infection was four percent in obese patients compared to three percent in non-obese, but that operating time and the need for blood transfusions did not differ between the two groups.

"Because of the high rate of associated illnesses, it is widely assumed that obesity is a major risk factor for post-surgical complications," Clavien said. "Our study shows that, with a single exception, this is simply not the case. "The regressive attitude towards general surgery in obese patients is no longer justified."

Other sources: The Lancet