(Courtesy of SMGH) Bariatric surgery is surgery to modify your stomach and/or intestines to induce weight loss and change your body’s metabolism. Bariatric surgery has been around since the 1950s and is the most effective method for long-term weight loss.
Medical problems and quality of life significantly improve with weight loss. “One of the major benefits of weight-loss surgery is that after surgery many patients are able to either stop taking or decrease their daily medications,” said Dr. Cynthia Weber. Studies have shown that bariatric surgery patients will live an average of seven to eight years longer after successful weight loss.
Despite the well-established benefits of bariatric surgery that have been known for decades, awareness among the public and medical community continues to be lacking. Some healthcare providers know very little on the topic, or about which patients qualify for the surgery.
The eligibility criteria for bariatric surgery were established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1992 and have not changed since! It is based on a person’s height and weight, which are used to calculate the body mass index (BMI).1 According to these criteria, eligible patients should have a BMI ≥40 kg/m2, or a BMI between 35 and 40 kg/m2 if they have high-risk comorbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, etc.
Here are two people: 1) 65-year-old female, who is 5’4”, 204 pounds, treated for hypertension, 2) 21-year-old male, who is 6’, 295 pounds and has no medical problems. Both qualify for surgery.
A big misconception is that a person needs to be 100-200 pounds overweight to be a candidate for surgery. “Due to the profound effects of weight-loss surgery on metabolic diseases such as diabetes and high cholesterol, the criteria for bariatric surgery will become less restricted to a patient’s height and weight,” said Dr. Channing Chin, director of bariatric surgery at St. Mary’s General Hospital. Many other countries, and some specialized centers in the United States, are performing bariatric surgery on patients who have a BMI lower than 35 but have significant diabetes. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment method for morbid obesity, and should be discussed with all obese patients.
“Is weight-loss surgery right for me?” Chin said this is a common question he is asked by many patients. If you are overweight and have not been able to sustain significant weight loss with diet and exercise, then there is a good chance bariatric surgery will be your best chance of living a longer and healthier life.
“At St. Mary’s General Hospital, we have a bariatric program that starts with patient education seminars,” said Vanessa Warner, director of communications. “From there the patient can decide on a medically supervised weight-loss program, or minimally invasive weight-loss surgery performed by the New York Bariatric Group, home to some of the country’s leading bariatric surgeons. These surgeries come with follow-up care for life. We also have emotional-health support and bariatric support groups with regular meetings to help you through this major lifestyle change.”
For more information, or to sign up for the next bariatric patient education session at St. Mary’s General, please call 973-365-4463. To make an appointment with a bariatric surgeon, please call 1-800-633-8446.
St. Mary’s General Hospital—nationally recognized, locally preferred—among the top hospitals in America for health, quality, and patient safety. A center of excellence for maternal-child, the hospital has over 550 physicians and 1,200 employees, with every staff member committed to providing respectful, personalized, high-quality care—to satisfy patients’ needs and exceed their expectations.
St. Mary’s General is a proud member of Prime Healthcare, which has had more Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients for five consecutive years (2016-2020) than any other health system in the country, including a “Top 15 Healthcare System” by Truven Health Analytics. To learn more about St. Mary’s General Hospital, visit https://www.smh-nj.com/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StMarysGeneral.
For more information, please contact George Matyjewicz, PhD, community liaison at [email protected]
1 BMI Calculator https://bariatric.stopobesityforlife.com/patient-resources/bmi-calculator/
