Bariatric surgery, a risk factor for rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis has been increasingly recognized as a complication of bariatric surgery. We report a case of this complication and its consequences, in a patient who had undergone bariatric surgery, with a very high creatine kinase (CK) concentration, and whose renal function failed. Obesity causes a range of effects on all major organ systems. Knowledge of these effects and issues specific to the intensive care unit care of bariatric patients can help to predict and manage this underestimated complication in this population in which early diagnosis can alter the outcome.