Who is a Candidate for Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric Surgery Candidates

Overweight or obesity conditions can be treated effectively with bariatric surgery. A responsible surgeon will carefully determine the candidacy of a patient for this procedure before recommending it to them. Dr. Wiljon Beltre is an experienced bariatric surgeon providing weight loss procedures to patients in Orlando, Tampa, Maitland, Central Florida, and surrounding locations.

Key Conditions for Candidacy

An individual should fulfill the following conditions to be considered as a candidate for bariatric surgery:

• The body mass index (BMI) is at least 40 or higher, or the patient is more than 100 pounds overweight.
• The BMI is at least 35 or higher and at least two obesity related co-morbidities are present. These may include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders, fatty liver (non-alcoholic), lipid abnormalities, osteoarthritis, gastric disorders, or heart disease.
• The patient is unable to achieve a healthy weight loss that is sustained for a period of time with prior weight loss efforts.

Candidates with Previous Surgery

Some patients may be concerned whether they are fabulous candidates for bariatric surgery because they have abdominal surgery procedures in the past, or have a hernia or stoma. While the patient is a good candidate in such cases, they should ensure that the surgeon and anesthesiologist are informed about previous surgeries, particularly the ones involving the abdomen and pelvis. Even childhood surgeries should be properly informed to the surgeon.

Candidates with Type 2 Diabetes

Although patients with type 2 diabetes may have a slightly higher risk during bariatric surgery, but their benefits are also higher. Nearly everyone with type 2 diabetes will find a significant improvement or even total remission of the disease after the surgery.

A few studies have even reported improvement of type 1 diabetes following bariatric procedures. The surgeon will provide detailed instructions to manage the diabetes around the time of surgery, and the candidate should be prepared to follow these guidelines diligently.

Candidates with Heart Disease

Patients with heart disease can also make good candidates for bariatric surgery, but they should ideally obtain medical clearance from their cardiologist before going ahead with this surgery. Bariatric surgery will help to improve various conditions related to heart disease, which may include:

• High Blood Pressure
• Cholesterol
• Lipid problems
• Heart enlargement (dilated heart, or abnormal thickening)
• Vascular (artery and vein) and coronary (heart artery) disease

During the initial consultation process, the patient should inform the surgeon about any heart conditions they may have. Even patients with heart valve replacement, stents, or heart bypass surgery will usually go through a bariatric procedure very successfully. Use of any blood thinning medications may have to be stopped before the surgery for a few weeks.

Candidates Planning Pregnancy

Fertility in most women will only improve after bariatric surgery. Birth control pills are not very effective in heavy patients, and are not very dependable during the period of weight fluctuations. Therefore, alternative methods of birth control should be used in such time.

Menstrual periods can be irregular, and as a result pregnancy may occur when the patient is not expecting it. Dedicated bariatric surgeon Dr. Beltre receives patients from Orlando, Tampa, Maitland, Central Florida, and nearby areas for weight loss surgery.

To find out more about the procedures & treatments performed by Orlando Bariatric Surgeon, Dr. Wiljon Beltre, at The Center for Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Call 321-499-6505 or Click Here to Schedule a Consultation.

Please note: If the weight is regained, conditions could return.