Bariatric surgery is now widely accepted as the mainstream treatment for those patients with obesity. In Australia, the number of bariatric surgeries performed has increased 40-fold since 1998, to approximately 17,500 surgeries annually in.
The procedures most commonly performed (sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass) have improved long term efficacy than previous popular operations such as the adjustable gastric band.
Patients are always best managed in well established bariatric surgical clinics with access to a multidisciplinary team including specialist bariatric surgeons, bariatric physicians, nurses, dietitians and psychologists to ensure the best weight loss outcomes.
Evidence about the efficacy of bariatric surgery for comorbidity resolution has accumulated over the years. This is especially true for type 2 diabetes mellitus where up to 11 randomised controlled trials have demonstrated consistent superiority of surgical treatment compared to medical intervention.
Surgical technique have advanced significantly over the past 20 years, with bariatric surgeries now all performed as laparoscopic or robotic operations with a lower morbidity compared to the ‘open surgery’ era.
The referral of an obese patient to a surgical weight loss centre has been recommended by the NHMRC guidelines that were last revised in 2014.
https://adelaidebariatriccentre.com.au/app/uploads/2023/03/Patient-Registration-form-Cancel-fee.doc
