Five Things To Generally Avoid When Having Bariatric Surgery

GAINESVILLE, Fla., June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the largest organization for bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the nation, today released a list of five things to generally avoid when patients undergo bariatric surgery. The creation of the list is part of ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely^® initiative, which raises professional and public awareness about procedures, tests and treatments whose necessity should be questioned and discussed by health care professionals and patients.

The ASMBS issued the following "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question":

1. Avoid an open approach for primary bariatric surgical procedures
2. Avoid routine postoperative antibiotics
3. Don't routinely use the intensive care unit for postoperative monitoring
4. Don't routinely remove the gallbladder unless clinically indicated
5. Avoid routine use of intra-operative invasive monitoring

"These are evidence-based recommendations that will help improve patient care and outcomes and help avoid the routine use of procedures and treatments that may be unnecessary for most patients," said John M. Morton, MD, President of the ASMBS.

"The Clinical Issues Committee of the ASMBS, which is made up of bariatric surgeons with significant contributions to high quality publications in the field of bariatric surgery, submitted proposals which were then vetted and prioritized by the Executive Leadership of ASMBS. All five recommendations have strong evidence in the literature to support them," said Shanu N. Kothari, MD, Chair of the ASMBS Clinical Issues Committee.

Since the launch of the Choosing Wisely initiative in 2012, more than 70 specialty society partners have released recommendations with the goal of advancing a national dialogue on avoiding wasteful or unnecessary medical tests, treatments and procedures.

About the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)
The ASMBS is the largest organization for bariatric and metabolic surgeons and integrated health professionals in the nation. It is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of morbid obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits. It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery, while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for people with severe obesity. For more information, visit: www.asmbs.org.

SOURCE American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery