Surgery for Severe Obesity

The epidemic of obesity in the United States has spawned a second epidemic — of bariatric surgery. The number of gastrointestinal surgeries performed annually for severe obesity increased from about 16,000 in the early 1990s to about 103,000 in 2003 (see Figure 1). This increase has been fueled by the increase in the number of people who are extremely obese; the failure of diets, exercise, and medical therapy; and the advent of laparoscopic procedures. Surgeons and hospitals are having difficulty keeping up. The number of practicing surgeons who are members of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) increased from 258 . . .