Bariatric Surgery - Mayo Clinic

Conditions that qualify for bariatric surgery include, but are not limited to:

Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher.
BMI of at least 35 and a weight-related disease such as high blood pressure, gastroesophageal reflux disease, diabetes, heart disease, or sleep apnea.

Mayo Clinic specializes in correcting issues from previous bariatric surgeries. We also may provide surgeries to people with complicated medical histories who may not have qualified at other bariatric centers.

Our skilled team will work with you to create a personalized care plan and will support you throughout this life-changing journey.

Mayo Clinic is an accredited Center of Excellence by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®)

This means our program is recognized for:

Superior outcomes. Mayo Clinic holds the highest standards and quality outcomes, and our bariatric surgery program is validated by MBSQIP®.
Minimally invasive surgical options. The high level of expertise of our multidisciplinary teams combined with cutting edge technologies allow the team at Mayo Clinic to provide the most advanced bariatric care available.
Technological advances. Our teams are at the forefront of utilizing the most advanced practices and safety techniques to offer procedures that are safe, effective, and tailored to you.

Bariatric surgery has become a safer surgical procedure with less risks as technology has advanced. You’ll typically be moving around two hours after surgery and return home after a one-night hospital stay.

Your team will work with you to choose the best option for you. Our experts offer:

Sleeve gastrectomy. This surgical procedure involves removing about 80% of the stomach to restrict the amount of food eaten and cause a hormonal effect that decreases hunger. People lose about 30% of their total weight.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This surgical procedure has long been considered the gold standard. It’s effective for obesity, and obesity with diabetes. The stomach is reduced to the size of an egg and the bowel is reshaped to absorb less food. It causes a major hormonal effect that decreases hunger. People typically lose 30-35% percent of total weight.
Duodenal switch (standard and loop or SADI-S). A combination of the sleeve gastrectomy and extensive bowel reshaping, this surgical procedure treats people with a higher BMI. The stomach and bowel are reshaped, resulting in about 40% loss of their total weight. This procedure is generally reserved for people with a BMI over 50 kg/m2 or as determined by your medical team. Although generally a much less commonly performed surgical procedure operation, the Mayo Clinic has experts that perform this surgical procedure.

Your expert team will support you before, during and after surgery. Whatever you need, our collaborative approach puts your needs at the center of everything we do, so you can achieve your best outcomes.

Your team will include:

Endocrinologists to determine a course of action tailored to your specific medical needs and circumstances.
Registered dietitians and nutrition experts to help you establish healthy behaviors before and after surgery.
Psychologists who will create a plan that positions you for success.
An experienced surgery team of surgeons, nurses, nurse practitioners and anesthesiologists who specialize in bariatric surgery and perform over 300 surgeries a year.
Other specialists as needed, such as gastroenterology and endoscopy, to address health issues before surgery and help determine the best approach for you. Your team can call on the deep knowledge and expertise of multidisciplinary experts across Mayo Clinic.
Access to fitness and culinary programs for healthy living at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center.

We understand having weight loss surgery is a serious decision. At Mayo Clinic, you’ll receive expertise, answers and compassionate care – all focused on helping you achieve your quality-of-life goals.

Bariatric Surgery at Mayo Clinic

Weight-loss surgery is an excellent and safe treatment for obesity. Everybody isn't. Individual. Patients have different, slightly different needs and having that ability to provide different types of treatments really refines the care for the obese patient. The management of obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach. That is the patient, that is the endocrinologist, that is the dietitian or nutritionist. That is the psychology part, and there is the surgeon.

While there are other modes for weight loss, we know by far that bariatric surgery is one of the safest and one of the most effective for that. So the multi-disciplinary effort really focuses in first on the comorbid diseases and making sure they're in checks like the hypertension, hyperlipidemia or type two diabetes, Maybe cardiac disease. And then moves towards the surgery and making sure that it's safe for that particular individual after their comorbid diseases have been stabilized.

What we have here at Mayo Clinic that might be different from a lot of other places, is that the patient is seeing the top of providers in the field at each one of these stations. What decisions do during bariatric procedure is give patients a tool. And the patient has to use that tool correctly and adequately for them to lose weight and to keep that weight off.

Take Control of Your Health With Bariatric Surgery Centered Around You

Qualifying conditions.

Recognized for expertise.

Options for the right solution for you.

We’re with you every step of the way.

Bariatric Surgery at Mayo Clinic

When it's time to find answers, you know where to go.

Contact us to request an appointment.