Rationale: Weight loss surgery has risks and complications as you already know. There are two main reasons for the high risk. First – The weight itself increases the risk. The more the BMI more is the risk. Second – As the number of pre-existing medical conditions increase so does the risk. Therefore the riskiest patients are the super morbidly obese with a BMI crossing over 55 and with pre-existing medical conditions. Several surgeons advocate the staged procedures to decrease the risks and improve the overall outcomes for these patients.
What does it mean? Staged procedure means that the surgical procedure is divided into two procedures. First procedure is a less risky restrictive procedure to start the weight loss process. Once reasonable weight loss is achieved the second procedure is planned which is the malabsorption component of the procedure.
Types: There are a couple of options for the staged procedures as follows.
The Decision: The decision needs to be based on individual assessment after consideration of various factors including risk factors, choice of procedures and goals desired. |
