Knowing if you meet medical guidelines for surgery is an early step in your bariatric surgery decision-making process.
The guidelines for bariatric surgery are brief and fairly simple. Surgeons use the guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) when considering treatment options for patients. Keep in mind that these are only guidelines. An experienced surgeon or other healthcare professional will evaluate each patient using a larger set of criteria.
Patients should have:
Surgeons and health insurance companies often have their own additional guidelines for recommending or covering bariatric surgery.
The most common guidelines are:
As with any surgery, there are possible complications and risks that are important to know and understand.
Morbid obesity can lead to a shorter lifespan and many life-threatening health problems, known as co-morbid conditions. These conditions are very serious, and many of them take years to exhibit symptoms. For example, a co-morbid condition such as type 2 diabetes may be damaging your kidneys, but you most likely would not know that you have type 2 diabetes.
Some common co-morbid conditions: