Mercy Bariatric Center - Springfield

What is Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatrics is simply the field of medicine focused on obesity, its causes, prevention and treatments. Bariatric surgery is divided into two different approaches to helping treat obesity: restrictive, where the stomach's size and capacity are reduced, and malabsorption, where the stomachs ability to absorb calories and nutrients is reduced.

At Mercy Bariatrics our team of leading experts is ready to help you meet your weight loss and health goals. We provide a variety of bariatric procedures including gastric sleeve, gastric banding and gastric bypass. In addition to your primary care physician, we call on our psychologists, dietitians, physical therapists, cardiologists, pulmonologists and surgeons to ensure your success. Bariatric surgery is just one part of your lifelong commitment to better health-but we're here to help.

Am I Eligible for Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a great way to help build a healthy lifestyle, but it's not for everyone. For weight loss surgery to be a viable option, patients must meet the following criteria:

You're 100 pounds or more over your ideal weight and have one of the following conditions:

1. A body mass index, or BMI, between 35 and 40, and
   • Diabetes
   • Sleep Apnea
   • High Blood Pressure
   • Your weight is causing health problems
2. Or have a BMI of 40 or more and none of the above health conditions.

Disclaimer: Surgery may be associated with its own set of problems, such as infection, poor wound healing, and rarely even death. Therefore, you and your surgeon should carefully discuss the risks of your current health condition compared to the risks and benefits of surgery.