Every type of surgery is serious and needs to be entered into with the proper perspective. For surgeons, it is imperative that they perform surgeries on the best candidates to ensure successful results. This includes weight loss surgery. Just because you want to have weight loss surgery, doesn’t necessarily mean you are a candidate for the surgery. What disqualifies you from weight loss surgery?
The Basic Criteria
Let’s begin with the basic requirements for weight loss surgery. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), there are certain criteria that a patient must meet in order to be approved for weight loss surgery:
- Have a BMI of 40, or a BMI of 35 with obesity-related conditions like diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, reflux or sleep apnea
- Be at least 100 pounds above your ideal weight
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Must have tried other non-surgical weight loss without success
- Must be committed to long-term lifestyle changes like dietary, exercise and other medical requirements
Being committed to staying with the program after surgery may be the most important of the basic criteria.
What Will Disqualify You From Having Weight Loss Surgery?
There are both medical and emotional conditions that are critical in finding the best candidates.
To begin, if you have medical conditions that disqualify you from any surgery, you cannot have weight loss surgery.
Basic Contraindications
A contraindication is anything that is a reason for a person not to receive a particular treatment or procedure because it may be harmful.
If you are younger than 18 years of age, pregnant or planning to be pregnant, you have had few other attempts at weight loss, or if you won’t agree to follow all the dietary rules before and after the surgery, then you will be disqualified.
Medical Issues
It is important to be truthful about your medical history. There are reasons why these medical problems interfere with a successful outcome.
- Anything involving your gastrointestinal system like inflammations, ulcers, Crohn’s Disease, or esophagitis. Any injury to your gastro system like a perforation.
- Severe heart or lung disease
- Any condition that could cause bleeding in the esophagus or stomach
- Chronic pancreatitis or cirrhosis of the liver
- You have an infection anywhere in your body
- You are undergoing long-term steroid treatments
Emotional/Mental Issues
If you are addicted to drugs or alcohol, if you have attempted suicide within the last 18 months or there have been multiple attempts in the last 5 years, active substance abuse, or substance-induced psychosis may disqualify you from weight loss surgery.
Discuss all your medical or emotional problems with a specialist at Dignity Health Medical Group to determine your best course of action.
If you think you may be a candidate for weight loss surgery, contact Dignity Health Medical Group at (602) 582-5233 for an evaluation in Chandler, AZ. You can also request an appointment through our secure online form. We see patients from throughout the Phoenix area including Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Gilbert.
