Indications for Bariatric Surgery

In the United States, current indications for bariatric surgery are based on the 1991 NIH Consensus Development Conference Panel’s published guidelines. While indications for such surgery have broadened since that time, the basic guidelines state that a patient should be ≥18 years of age, should have tried nonsurgical means of weight loss for at least 5 years, should not have any significant untreated psychological diagnoses, should not have causes for weight gain that are unlikely to be eliminated after surgery, and should have no severe underlying medical conditions that would make it unsafe to undergo a major operation. Patients should also have a body mass index ≥40 or ≥35 with at least one severe weight-related medical condition.