Click here if you would like more information about our program.
WVU Bariatric Surgery
PO Box 9238
Morgantown, WV 26506
Phone: 304-293-6386
Fax: 304-293-6459
WVU Surgery | Bariatric Home | Bariatric Team | About our Program | Insurance Coverage | FAQ
Weight Loss Surgery
For people who are severely obese (those who have a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher, or are at least 100 pounds overweight) weight loss surgery can be an effective and safe option. This surgery has an excellent success rate. Weight loss ranges from 50% - 85% of excess body weight over the first year following surgery.
Weight loss surgery is also known as "bariatric" surgery, and there are several different types.
Until the mid-1990s, weight loss surgery was done through traditional, open methods, requiring several days in the hospital, considerable pain, and a recovery period of several weeks. Now WVU surgeons frequently perform weight loss surgery with minimally invasive, laparoscopic techniques. This approach uses small incisions and videoscopes, resulting in much less pain after surgery as well as faster recovery. Patients stay in the hospital for one to three days on average, and can return to work within two to three weeks.
Bariatric procedures include:
Bariatric surgery involves making the stomach dramatically smaller so that the amount of food that can be eaten is greatly reduced. Immediately following surgery, patients can eat no more than one to two ounces per meal; this increases gradually to four to eight ounces per meal six months after the surgery.
Candidates for bariatric surgery include patients older than 18 years who are least 100 pounds overweight. They must have tried and failed to lose weight through other means, including a medically supervised weight loss program . Candidates also must be motivated to change their eating and exercise habits, take nutritional supplements as needed, and follow up with their physician. Patients should consider bariatric surgery to be permanent because reversing the surgery would involve major surgery with all of the associated risks.