MORBIDLY obese patients are literally weighing down the system at Bendigo Health, hospital directors say.
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An increasing number of patients weighing more than 180 kilograms is putting pressure on staff and depriving other patients of services.
Bendigo Health director of nursing David Rosaia said it was common to have to shut down a room of four beds, to cater for one bariatric patient.
This is because staff must bring in specialised bariatric equipment, which takes up space in the hospital room.
Equipment includes extra-large hospital beds that can take up to 350 kilograms, extra-large toilets, ceiling-mounted and mobile lifting machines and extra-large wheelchairs.
Other equipment such as scanners, cannot cater for bariatric needs properly.
Having a CT scan can be an ordeal because some patients' girth is too great to fit into the scanner.
You’re trying to juggle equipment and human resources.
- David Rosaia
"We have to be very selective where we place the bariatric patients so as not to compromise their care and not to compromise their safety," Mr Rosaia said.
He said the hospital had been used to a "steady flow" of patients in the 120 to 180 kilogram bracket but this year was different.
"It's the increasing weight that has an impact on our service," he said.
Mr Rosaia said he had seen patients weighing 240 and 270 kilograms, which meant staff had to put in place a special care plan.
"You’re trying to juggle equipment and human resources," he said.
Furthermore, once bariatric patients present to emergency, they can require several weeks of medical treatment, followed by several weeks in rehabilitation.
Mr Rosaia said it was common for morbidly obese patients to stay in hospital for up to six weeks.
He said hospital staff did not judge patients on their weight, were committed to their care, and Bendigo Health had a strong policy for treating obese patients.
But, he said, the reality of the obesity epidemic and its effect on the hospital system could not be ignored.
Director of medicine Mark Savage said the Loddon Mallee region had one of the highest obesity rates in the state.
"Obesity is a problem that's growing and patients admitted to Bendigo Health are suffering from more and more obesity related illnesses," he said.
"These people are way beyond being able to be treated with dietitians or exercise.
"Often with bariatrics it's not a quick fix. They’ll often have diabetes, respiratory issues, multiple medications."