Who is a candidate for gastric bypass surgery?
Making the decision to have weight loss surgery is an important one. If you’re seriously considering gastric bypass surgery, you should talk to your doctor about whether you’re eligible for the surgery, so that you can either start preparing for the operation, or exploring other weight loss options.WeightGastric bypass surgery is ideal for individuals that are 90 pounds or more overweight. If a patient has a body mass index of 40 or more, the patient is considered obese, and gastric bypass surgery is often recommended. The surgery can either be Roux-en-Y, where the stomach is stapled so that food will bypass a section of the small intestine, or biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch, where a large portion of the stomach is removed.Medical ConditionsPatients who have, or will likely have, serious medical problems if the weight is not taken off surgically, make good candidates for gastric bypass surgery. Individuals with high blood pressure or diabetes will likely benefit from
Before you are considered for gastric bypass — or any other weight loss surgery — you will undergo a complete physical as well as a psychological evaluation to determine whether you are ready to commit to a healthier lifestyle. The U.S. National Institutes of Health has set other guidelines to determine eligibility for weight-loss surgery. They include: • A body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. A BMI of 40 or more means you are at least 45 kilograms over your recommended weight. A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 25. • A BMI of 35 or more along with a life-threatening illness that can be made better with weight loss, such as sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
