Bariatric Surgery: The Challenges with Candidate Selection, Individualizing Treatment and Clinical Outcomes

The rates of obesity are increasing with at least 300 million people worldwide now classified as obese [1]. Obesity is associated with reduced life expectancy, increased morbidity and mortality, and greater healthcare costs [2,3]. Bariatric surgery is more effective than non-surgical treatments of obesity with a reduction in overall mortality of 30% demonstrated in surgical recipients [4-7]. Greater reductions are seen in cancer and diabetes mortality [6,7].