Surgical management of obesity: what you need to know

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and official figures demonstrate a rising prevalence, both in the UK and globally. Increasingly, there is a recognised place for surgical intervention in carefully selected patients, but there is limited understanding of the pathway and process among non-specialist clinicians. This article summarises the available guidelines and literature on the surgical management of obesity for hospital physicians, surgeons and GPs. The focus is on appropriate referral criteria, key bariatric procedures, postoperative management and, most importantly, the complications of surgery and how to recognise them.