Fundamentals of Massive Weight Loss

Patients with massive weight loss represent a special entity that requires different considerations throughout the entire surgical process because due to their particular characteristics, they present a higher risk of presenting local and systemic complications compared to a conventional patient who will undergo a surgical procedure. These special considerations must be taken into account since the preoperative period, with the correct selection of the patient who will be a candidate for surgery (optimal BMI and all the pertinent assessments from a multidisciplinary team); in the transoperative period, strictly complying with safety measures and pertinent considerations in surgical technique, and in the postoperative period, with an early identification of any indication of a complication or adverse effect in order to resolve it optimally. A post-bariatric or massive weight loss patient should never be managed like a conventional cosmetic surgery patient.