F
or Mandy Pate, RN,
CBN, everything
about the sleeve gas-
trectomy was famil-
iar. She knew every
square inch of the operating room
at the University of Michigan Health
System in Ann Arbor where it would
be performed. She knew every staff
member milling around the table prepar-
ing to start the case. They were follow-
ing pre-op protocols she could recite in
her sleep. But there was one major differ-
ence this time around. Ms. Pate was lying on
the table, the patient during a procedure she
had helped perform countless times before.
From the perspective of a patient, Ms. Pate
observed some inherent biases even her most
well-intentioned colleagues had toward high-
BMI patients. "After my surgery, I wanted to
get up and use the bathroom, and the nurses
didn't want me to," she says. "I couldn't
Jared Bilski | Senior Associate Editor
Caring for Patients With High BMIs
One nurse's journey from patient to advocate should
inspire you to treat obese individuals with clinical
expertise and greater compassion.
• DUAL PERSPECTIVE Surgical nurse Mandy Pate, RN, CBN, lost half her body
weight after undergoing a sleeve gastrectomy procedure.
University
of
Michigan
Health
System
3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
