Criteria for Surgery

A number of widely accepted guidelines are used to assess a patient’s suitability for obesity surgery. These include:

• Age of 18 to 65 yrs
• BMI of 40 or higher
• BMI of 35 or higher and one or more obesity related medical disorders
• Failure of sustained weight loss on supervised weight reduction programs
• No substance abuse, psychoses and uncontrolled depression
• An understanding of the risks and commitment required with this type of surgery

Surgery should not be performed in patients who:

• Have an eating or endocrine disorder causing obesity
• Are planning to become pregnant within two years of surgery
• Are adolescents