Bariatric Surgery Bariatric surgery is a weight loss surgery. This is procedure that is performed on people who are dangerously obese. The purpose of bariatric surgery is to help patients lose large amounts of weight in a relatively short amount of time. This procedure is performed to prevent and stop the many medical problems that are caused by obesity. Bariatric surgery usually helps patients lose weight in one of two ways. It can be performed by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device (gastric banding) or a portion of the stomach can be removed (gastric bypass surgery). Both of these surgeries are considered bariatric surgery and will help patients achieve weight loss. These procedures work by reducing the amount of food that a patient can take in. Studies have shown that these procedures cause significant long-term weight loss. This weight loss can help patients recover from having diabetes, can improve many cardiovascular risk factors that were present before the weight loss, and can reduce mortality by twenty-three to forty percent. In addition to the medical side of the procedure, it often boosts a patient’s mental outlook as they have more self-confidence and are able to be more active and therefore do many more things. The United States National Institutes of Health only recommends bariatric surgery for obese people with a body mass index (or BMI) of at least forty. Read more...

Tags: Bariatric, Surgery