Surgery done with the intent of contributing to a person’s weight loss and weight management is called by various terms, such as:
- weight loss surgery
- weight management surgery
- bariatric surgery
- metabolic surgery
Each of these terms is considered more appropriate or less appropriate by different people, in different circumstances.
Initially, the potential benefit of such procedures was viewed almost solely as being about loss of weight. More recently, we have come to understand that benefits to metabolism can occur very early after surgery, before significant weight loss. Also, the benefits in terms of weight loss are not as consistent as initially hoped and not predictable. The longer-term outcomes are highly variable, and often not as profound as expected. However, since body weight change is not a direct measure of health status change, the emphasis is shifting from amount of weight lost to degree of improvement in metabolic health.
This recent article gives information about the programs locally.
The first part of the article focuses mostly on the program in Victoria, but many people from other areas of B.C. go through that program. The discussion covers info and considerations that apply generally. Scroll down to see a bullet list of a key information about bariatric surgery in this province, such as wait times, costs and coverage.
By Katherine Dedyna, August 25, 2015, in the Victoria newspaper Times Colonist:
“Weight-loss program expands at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital” LINK
Core Health MD 