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Press Media Wire (Press Release) - Mar 04,2009 - (PressMediaWire) - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than nine million American children are overweight or obese—a reality that is putting more children at risk during and after surgery.
Dr. Armen Ketchedjian, prominent anesthesiologist and author of the book Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery, explains that the health problems caused by obesity, including sleep apnea, increased stomach size, high blood pressure and decreased lung capacity, can all lead to potentially dangerous complications.
“For example, if a child has sleep apnea, it can compromise the delivery of oxygen through the airway during the use of anesthesia,” explains Dr. Ketch, as his patients know him. “This can necessitate the use of special breathing machines or even an extra night in the hospital for observation.”
Problems in surgery like those associated with sleep apnea are on the rise because of the increasing number of children who undergo surgery while obese. Through his book, Dr. Ketch is trying to educate parents about what aspects of obesity contribute to surgical risks, including:
- An increase in stomach acid volume, which can lead to inhalation of stomach acids during surgery
- An increased requirement of oxygen metabolism, which restricts delivery of oxygen to vital organs
- A resistance to the action of insulin, which can throw off blood sugar levels
- An increased the chance that a child will be unable to follow the strict dieting restrictions necessary to prepare him or her for surgery
These risks, says Dr. Ketch, are enough of a concern that parents should consult a nutritionist and pediatrician about their child’s weight, especially if he or she needs surgery.
Will It Hurt? helps educate parents about pediatric surgery. It is an easy-to-read resource that will give parents, children and families the help and reassurance they need to make surgical experiences as stress-free as possible.
Listed in The Guide to America’s Top Anesthesiologists by the Consumer Research Council of America, Dr. Ketch trained at Cornell Medical Center, with a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a pain management elective at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has also worked to help develop new techniques in ambulatory anesthesia, taught medical students and residents, and cared for more than 10,000 patients.
Dr. Ketch is also the author of the children’s book Golden Apples (winner of the 2008 Reviewer’s Choice Award), a beautifully illustrated book that aims to help educate children about the dangers of drug abuse.
For more information, contact the author directly at support@dr.ketch.com.
WARREN ENTERPRISES, LLC and author Dr. Armen G. Ketchedjian chose Arbor Books, Inc. (www.ArborBooks.com) to design and promote Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery. Arbor Books is an internationally renowned, full-service book design, ghostwriting and marketing firm.
(Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery by Dr. Ketch; ISBN: 0-9815373-0-8; $14.95; 172 pages; 5½” x 8 ½”; softcover with illustrations; WARREN ENTERPRISES, LLC)
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