Bariatric Surgery Criteria

Are you considering bariatric surgery to reduce obesity? If so, you probably want to know the bariatric surgery criteria that qualify patients for this type of surgery.

Most surgeons adhere to a pre-defined set of bariatric surgery criteria established by one or more professional organization. These criteria help bariatric surgeons determine whether or not a person is qualified to undergo such a procedure.

In most cases, a patient will qualify for surgery when they meet most of bariatric surgery criteria below:

• The candidate is severely obese with a body mass index (BMI) for 40 or greater.
• The candidate has attempted (and documented) other methods of weight loss, such as dietary changes, exercise programs, etc. But these programs did not reduce the person’s weight below the obesity level.
• The candidate’s daily life is hampered by obesity, rendering them unable to perform routine tasks and activities.
• Obesity is lowering the patient’s quality of life.
• The patient understands the risks associated with bariatric surgery, as well as the life changes that will result in such a surgery.

Each surgeon will have his or her own set of bariatric surgery criteria, but these are the basic criteria that most follow when screening candidates for this type of surgery.

Here is some more criteria information from around the Web:

Patient Criteria for Bariatric Surgery
This page offers a clear, concise list of surgery criteria in bullet format. Note that these are the criteria used by this particular surgery center.

LAP-BAND® Surgery Criteria
This set of criteria (created by the UCSD Medical Center) is specific to bariatric surgeries using the LAP-BAND® System.