21 October,2009 07:33 AM IST | | Agencies
This is the warning hospital bosses have given Paul Mason, the world's heaviest man, who may have to be air lifted for surgeryu00a0
Britian's National Health Services (NHS) bosses have looked into using a helicopter to airlift Paul Mason, who at 70 stone is thought to be the world's heaviest man, to a specialist hospital in an attempt to save his life.u00a0 Mason (48), a former engineer, is due for surgery in the next few weeks in a bid to reduce weight.
NHS officials are trying to decide how to move him from his home in Ipswich, Suffolk, to a specialist unit for obese patients at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex, 152 miles away.
Officials said that they considered a helicopter airlift, but it is now thought they will use a reinforced ambulance.
Mason is believed to suffer from an addiction to eating.u00a0 He once admitted eating up to 20,000 calories - including three family-sized takeawaysu00a0- a day. A typical male adult eats 2,500 calories a day
An NHS Suffolk spokesman said, "This patient is classed as super obese. It is most likely that he will be transported in a specialist bariatric ambulance. The most important aspect of transporting him is preserving his dignity and looking after his safety."
Mason was hoisted out of his home in 2002 when he weighed 56 stone and needed to go to hospital for a hernia operation.
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