To be considered, patients must meet the following minimum criteria:
Be 13-18 years old
Have reached physical and psychological maturity. Our patients must be mature enough to understand the benefits and risks of this treatment.
BMI greater or equal to 35 kg/m2 with major co-morbidity including:
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Moderate to severe sleep apnea [apnea-hypopnea index >15]
Pseudotumor cerebri
Severe NASH
BMI of greater or equal to 40 kg/m2 with other co-morbidities including:
Hypertension
Insulin resistance
Glucose intolerance
Substantially impaired quality of life or activities of daily living
Dyslipidemia
Sleep apnea [apnea-hypopnea index >5]
Have actively attempted to lose weight in a medically supervised program.
Program Overview
Our program works closely with your pediatrician to develop a personalized program for you. It could be several months of clinic visits, dietician visits, and support groups. This means we will see you every month at our clinic and develop a close relationship. These visits happen before we ever start talking about surgery. We use a multidisciplinary approach to treating our patients, and we review each patient on a case by case basis to determine when they are psychologically and physiologically ready to proceed with surgery.
Your team will consist of a surgeon, pediatric physician, dietitian and child psychologist. We are here to help you on your journey. From scheduling your first visit, all the way to surgery and beyond, we will provide you with the education and support you need. We encourage open communication with our patients and their family members to best help you succeed. This involves creating a partnership with you and the bariatric team. Our program will provide you with all the information needed month by month to get you ready for surgery and to stay on track for the rest of your life.
