Patient Selection and Surgical Management of High-Risk Patients with Morbid Obesity

Bariatric surgery is the most effective way to improve comorbidities related to obesity. Since the introduction of minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery in the bariatric surgery techniques, the number of procedures has increased substantially; advances in techniques and the transition from open to minimally invasive procedures have decreased morbidity and mortality. Multidisciplinary teams in charge of the operative planning, surgical act, and postoperative recovery are determinant in the success of the management of high-risk bariatric patients; careful identification and preoperative management of these higher-risk patients is crucial in decreasing complications after weight loss surgery.