Am I A Candidate?

Selection Criteria for Obesity Surgery

There are a number of widely accepted criteria which make a patient suitable for this operation:

• Weight greater than 45kg above the ideal body weight for sex, and height.
• BMI greater than 35 by itself or greater than 30 if there is an associated obesity illness , such as diabetes ,hypertension or sleep apnoea.
• Reasonable attempts at other weight loss techniques.
• Age 16-75.
• Obesity related health problems.
• No psychiatric or drug dependency problems.
• A capacity to understand the risks and commitment associated with the surgery.
• Pregnancy not anticipated in the first  6-12 months following surgery.

There is considerable flexibility in these guidelines. Patients as young as 12 have been offered surgery. Sometimes a lower BMI between 30-35 is accepted if comorbidities exist. It is recognised that patients of Indian and Asian descent often get comorbidites at a Lower BMI and their threshold for surgery also has to be lower.

Paradoxically, patients with a BMI of 30-35 have the best weight loss outcomes usually achieving over 90% EWL (See our results). The risk of surgery has to be balanced with the smaller  risks that a low BMI patient has of health issues.

Remember though that BMI is just a number. Sometimes patients with a BMI below 35 who have struggled with their weight all their lives will be offered surgery.

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