Pediatric Bariatrics
Bariatrics in Teens
Obesity is associated with medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, elevated cholesterol, stroke, high blood pressure, orthopedic problems and certain cancers. CHRISTUS Health offers bariatric surgery as a treatment options for obese teenagers who meet strict criteria and have not had success with other weight loss treatments.
This procedure is not a “quick fix” for obesity and must involve a serious commitment.
While it can be an effective weight loss tool, surgery alone does not guarantee success. Patients must also be willing to commit to a lifetime of new behavior and dietary habits.
We offer a rigorous after-care program that provides the guidance and support you and your teen need to help ensure permanent weight loss.
Is Surgery Right for Your Child?
Once your child has completed a thorough medical, psychological, behavioral and dietary evaluation, you and the care team will discuss whether bariatric surgery is an option.
Criteria for the Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program for teenagers:
- Referral from the teen’s primary care provider
- Ages 12-19 years old
- BMI Requirements
- BMI >35 with associated medical condition(s)
- BMI >40 with no associated medical condition
- Special consideration for BMT as low as 30
- Unsuccessful with previous medically managed weight loss attempts
- Ability to comply with rigorous dietary, exercise and medical guidelines
- Understands and accepts lifelong commitment to maintain lifestyle changes after surgery
- Family support and realistic expectations of weight loss results
Understanding Sleeve Gastrectomy
Sleeve gastrectomy has helped many patients lose weight and improve their health by reducing the amount of food they can eat. The procedure works by surgically removing the side part of the stomach. The remaining portion of the stomach becomes a vertical sleeve about the size of a banana that is stapled together. The procedure is permanent.
On average, patients lose 50 to 65 percent of their excess weight during the two years following surgery.
Sleeve gastrectomy does not affect digestion. Food passes through the digestive tract just as it did before, allowing it to be fully absorbed by the body. Like all bariatric procedures, lifelong follow-up care with your health-care professional is required.
Other Procedures
There are other procedures that can be tailored to your teen’s needs. Sleeve gastrectomy is a surgical procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, limiting the amount of food that can be eaten at one meal.
CHRISTUS Children's - Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Clinic
The Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Clinic at CHRISTUS Children's provides compassionate and comprehensive patient- and family-centered care for teenagers who are overweight or obese and who want to achieve a healthier lifestyle.