Lower BMI’s for WLS?

A new study shows that there may be a need to lower the BMI requirement of WLS to below the standard 40. The change in the requirement is due to how the procedure is done in today’s world vs the world when the requirements were made. Most surgery, today, is done laproscopically vs. an open surgery is now the exception, not the norm. When the standards were created, open surgery was the most common method of performing the early types of WLS and the higher BMI numbers were the standard. Today, researchers are taking a second look at those who have a BMI over 30, not 40, and the benefits for those who may have additional co-morbidities (or not) and who have a lower BMI. What do you think? Should these lower standards now be the norm or should the medical community only consider higher BMI’s as viable candidates for WLS?

Dawn