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Introduction Morbid obesity is the most common form of malnutrition in the United States and in the world today. It is considered after smoking to be the second leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is a chronic disease which is very complex and has multiple etiologies. Health risks from obesity is related to the degree of a person being overweight. Generally a body mass index of 40 kg/meters squared or above, represents clinically severe obesity. This also translates into 100 pounds over ideal body weight. Patient's with body mass index of 40 or above, are considered operative candidates. Patient's with body mass indexes of 35 to 40 with multiple comorbid problems such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and severe orthopedic problems are also candidates for the procedure. This will be determined by your surgeon. Obesity in the United States has increased dramatically over the last two decades. We lose over 300,000 patients a year to morbid obesity and morbid obesity related medical problems. The incidence of obesity in our children and adolescence is increasing steadily and is thought to have a prevalence as high as 25%. An estimated ten million Americans are morbidly obese. All of which have increased risks for serious diseases and the likelihood of a shorter life expectancy. The obesity is called morbid because it is associated with progressive and serious debilitating comorbid problems. It is a major contributor to diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, osteoarthritis of weightbearing joints, respiratory problems, gallstones, urinary incontinence, stroke, gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression and certain types of cancer, such as breast, colon and prostate cancer. There are social, psychosocial and economic consequences of morbid obesity that can be devastating. Unfortunately, the prejudice against the obese is very common in our society. Conservative management of morbid obesity that includes diet, behavioral modifications, exercise programs and the like have been found to be ineffective over the long term. A person who is morbidly obese who attempts conservative management, as mentioned above, either alone or in any combination, is not expected to be successful more than 5% of the time. Over 95% of patients who are morbidly obese and meet the criteria for morbid obesity will regain their weight and often overshoot their previous weight. Surgery for morbid obesity is the only method that has resulted in long-term maintenance of weight loss and the reduction of the comorbid diseases that are associated with morbid obesity. In particular, hypertension, dibetes mellitus, risks for coronary disease, osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and many others. Morbid obesity is a chronic disease which defined as a disruption of bodily function that develops slowly and persists for an extended period of time and often for life. It is multifactorial and includes genetic predisposition, environmental factors, social economic factors, cultural influences, hormonal influences and digestive abnormalities. In 1985 morbid obesity was recognized as a disease with associated comorbid diseases by the National Institute of Health. In 1991, surgical weight loss stated to be superior to nonsurgical weight loss methods and that only surgical intervention produced acceptable long-term results. In 1993 the National Institute of Health recognized the vertical banded gastroplasty and the gastric bypass procedure to be effective in significant reduction of excess body weight. The National Institute of Health recognizes morbid obesity as being an epidemic that can only be reduced significantly by surgical intervention for both morbid obesity and its associated comorbid problems. The surgical treatment of morbid obesity is now also approached with minimally invasive surgery, namely laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure is very quickly being recognized as an effective approach to morbid obesity with equivalent results to conventional surgery. The benefits of laparoscopic surgery over the last decade have been recognized in many types of surgery and have proven to result in less postoperative pain, a quicker recovery with favorable cosmetic results. The laparoscopic approach to morbid obesity in certain patients, has proven to result in the same benefits as other laparoscopic procedures. Under the guidelines established by the National Institute of Health, published in the annals of internal medicine which established the national standard of care, any patient who is more than 100 pounds over ideal body weight or with a body mass index greater than 40 is a candidate for surgical treatment of their morbid obesity due to their extremely high risk of medical complications and early death associated with this level of obesity.  Back to Top
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