Recent headlines about children as young as two-years-old getting bariatric surgery have grabbed attention, but have not changed the position of the ASMBS and its Pediatric Surgery Committee. It issued Best Practice Guidelines in 2012 and nothing since then has changed the consensus on the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in adolescents and the criteria for patient selection.
connect recently interviewed Kirk Reichard, MD, FACS, FAAP, ASMBS Pediatric Surgery Committee Chair, about the controversial use of bariatric surgery in children, before they reach adolescence.
*Read the full interview on connect