All patients suffered from respiratory failure preoperatively and surgery was performed somewhat urgently.
Before surgery, the patient had a very good appetite and had eaten all the food of an 1800 cal0day diet until 1 day preoperatively.
In the remaining 12 (85.7%) patients, only minimal regurgitation was found preoperatively.
Trivial regurgitation of the left atrioventricular valve was diagnosed preoperatively by echocardiography in each of our patients.
The patients completed self-administered questionnaires after admission but preoperatively.
There are no good studies of methods to aid weight reduction preoperatively, or of the effects of weight reduction on postoperative outcomes.
Supraventricular tachycardia (rate 250/min) was noted preoperatively and treatment with digoxin and subsequently amiodarone was given which controlled the arrhythmia.
Fifteen children were intubated preoperatively, and 28 required inotropic support.
