Bariatric Surgery – A review by Dr. David Anaise, MD
Obesity is a major health problem approaching an epidemic proportions. An NIH consensus conference on the surgical treatment of obesity recommended consideration of surgery in patients with a BMI of greater than 40 kg/m2 without medical complications or a BMI of greater than 35 kg/m2 if a severe comorbidity were present. Nearly all morbidly obese patients with satisfactory postoperative weight loss, experience substantial improvement in the quality of their lives. At present, Roux en Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) may be the only bariatric operation that has produced durable long-term weight loss at an acceptable level of risk. Complications, either peri-operative or delayed occur frequently. Early recognition of these complications and meticulous attention to details are thus of paramount importance in this group of high-risk patients.