New Weight Loss Surgery Guidelines Are Released

New guidelines for weight loss surgery were announced by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), the first in more than 30 years.

Two of the field’s leading authorities recommend expanding patient eligibility and endorsing metabolic surgery for people with type 2 diabetes, starting at a body mass index (BMI) of 30, based on new evidence-based clinical guidelines.

The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines on Indications for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery – 2022 were published in the journals Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases(SOARD) and Obesity Surgery.

More than three decades ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a consensus statement, setting standards upon which most doctors and insurance companies still rely to decide whether to recommend bariatric surgery.

“The 1991 NIH consensus statement on bariatric surgery served a valuable purpose for a time, but after more than three decades and hundreds of high-quality studies, including randomized clinical trials, it no longer reflects best practices and lacks relevance to today’s modern-day procedures and population of patients,” said Dr. Teresa LaMasters, the president of ASMBS, in a statement.

“While it may take some time for the insurance companies to adopt the new guidelines, it is a big step in the right direction.” said Dr. Alexander Abkin, Managing Partner of Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeons.

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