Management of the challenging bariatric surgical patient

Despite the continued increase in surgical procedures for weight loss, the dramatic increase in the prevalence of morbid obesity far outpaces the treatments to correct it. As a result, the primary care physician is increasingly more likely to be evaluating patients who are either candidates for weight loss surgery or who have already undergone a weight loss procedure. Unique medical and social situations must be considered when evaluating these patients, and it is anticipated that all physicians will be seeing a greater number of complex or challenging patients.