title: Size matters. Understanding morbid obesity & its associated complications.
abstract: America is facing a health crisis that will test the limits of EMS resources and resourcefulness in coming years. In the United States, obesity is second only to cigarette smoking as the leading cause of preventable death--causing more than 300,000 deaths annually. It has also been implicated in the dramatic rise in diabetes and heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Bassett Healthcare's Center for Rural EMS Education, Guilderland, N.Y., USA. richard.beebe@bassett.org
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beebe
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007040:Hypoventilation / Q000150:complications; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology