• When bariatric surgery — or surgery on the stomach and/or intestines to help morbidly obese patients lose weight — first emerged, it was a very invasive surgery in which long incisions were made in the stomach. Continual innovation in medical technology has enabled more minimally invasive surgery. Today, surgeons create smaller incisions leaving very small scars and use improved tools allowing for faster recoveries, shorter hospital stays and decreased chance of wound complications, such as infection and hernia.

Obesity Facts

Number of obese U.S. adults

    60 million

Risk of death for obese vs. average person

    2 times higher1

Cost of obesity

    $117 billion2

  • $61 billion direct costs
  • $56 billion indirect costs

  • Minimally invasive laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, a type of bariatric surgery, requires very small incisions and precise instruments to literally bypass a large portion of the stomach so that only a small portion remains functional and absorption of food is dramatically reduced.

  • Studies show that bariatric surgery is effective in improving and resolving many weight-related health conditions.3 A review of more than 22,000 bariatric surgery patients showed astounding health benefits for patients.


Remarkable Secondary Medical Benefits of Bariatric Surgery

Complete resolution of type 2 diabetes 77% of patients3

Resolution or improvemnet of high blood pressure		 79% of patients3
Improvement in lipid and cholesterol levels 93% of patients3
Resolution of arthritis 90% of patients4
Resolution of sleep apnea 86% of patients3
Complete resolution of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) 98% of patients4
Resolution of stress urinary incontinence 97% of patients4

 
  1. American Society for Bariatric Surgery. “Rationale for the Surgical Treatment of Morbid Obesity.” www.asbs.org/html/ration.html(12 April 2006).

  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity.” Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General; 2001.

  3. Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, et al. “Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” The Journal of the American Medical Association 292(14) (2004):1724-37.

  4. Wittgrove A, Clark G. “Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, Roux-En-Y 500 Patients: Technique and Results, with 3-60 Month Follow-up.” Obesity Surgery 10(3) (2000):233-39.
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