Obesity has become the #1 public health problem in our country today -- more than half of Americans are overweight and roughly 12 million Americans have severe obesity (defined as being 100 lbs. or more overweight). Obesity is major cause of premature death and many other medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, sleep apnea and degenerative joint disease.
At Cleveland Clinic, our bariatric weight loss surgery program is focused on addressing obesity with modern treatment strategies, research and education, because losing weight often is not as simple as it sounds. Our bariatric surgeons perform the safest and most effective weight loss surgery procedures. Read our Cleveland Clinic Bariatric & Metabolic Institute patient overview.
Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute (BMI) has been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Surgical Review Corporation. The designation, awarded to programs with a proven record of favorable outcomes for weight-loss surgery, also recognizes Cleveland Clinic bariatric surgeons Philip Schauer, MD, Bipan Chand, MD, Stacy Brethauer, MD, Tomasz Rogula, MD, and Matthew Kroh, MD A short video from each: Philip Schauer, MD, and Bipan Chand, MD is available. The Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at Cleveland Clinic has also been accredited as a Level 1 facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Please contact us to discuss your weight loss surgery and medical weight management options. Or, refer a patient for a second opinion concerning bariatric surgery for obesity.
Minimally Invasive Surgery for Treating Type 2 Diabetes
If you struggle with diabetes and are overweight, you are not alone. More than half of Americans are overweight and roughly 12 million Americans have severe obesity (defined as being 100 pounds or more overweight). Obesity is one of the most important factors for the development of type 2 diabetes.
Studies have shown that bariatric surgery (also known as gastric bypass, or weight-loss surgery) is not only an effective tool for treating obesity, but also for preventing, treating and even resolving diabetes in some cases.
The Bariatric and Metabolic Institute works closely with Cleveland Clinic endocrinologists to treat patients with diabetes and develop a program tailored to suit their needs.
Carefully researching your options is an important step in your search for the best diabetes and weight management program. We are confident that you will discover how the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute excels in so many ways and how the program is right for you. View Guide
Bariatric surgery should be considered for adults with BMI >35 kg/m2 and type 2 diabetes, especially if the diabetes is difficult to control with lifestyle and pharmacologic therapy.
Source: Diabetes Care, volume 32, Supplement 1, January 2009
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Quality Outcomes
The Cleveland Clinic is pleased to introduce our Outcomes Books, a summary review of medical and surgical trends, approaches and results.
The Clinic is publishing its outcome data by department as a quality measure. Patients and referring physicians can now have the information they need to make informed decisions when choosing or recommending a hospital or specialist for medical or surgical care.
Outcomes books were created from more than 20 Cleveland Clinic surgical and medical areas. View the data online (PDF).
Noteworthy News
February 2010
Leading the Revolution in Bariatric Surgery (PDF)
Dr. Philip Schauer featured in the latest MDNews Magazine
January 2010
Weight-loss surgery may soon be widely used
Advancements in procedures that are usually a last resort for the obese are making them potentially suitable for moderately overweight and diabetic people.
December 2009
Diabetes Surgery Summit consensus lays foundation for "Diabetes Surgery" (PDF)
Projecting the Future Diabetes Population size and Related Costs for the United States (PDF)
August 2009
Dr. Schauer is quoted in recent a recent U.S. News & World Report article:
How Weight Loss Helps the Heart: Study found it reversed structural abnormalities seen among the obese
Lose the weight and keep it off: Mission impossible? Once people lose weight, it can be healthy weight maintenance that is the hardest part. Leslie Heinberg, PhD, MA, director, Behavioral Services, Bariatric and Metabolic Institute comments in Newsweek.
July 2009
"Bariatric Surgery - A Safe Weight-Loss Option Shows Low Risks for Weight Loss Surgery"
A New Study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows low risks for weight loss surgery. Read Dr. Schauer’s and other’s comments.
June 2009
Is the Recession Making Americans Fatter?
May 2009
Complication and Costs for Obesity Surgery Declining (PDF)
Terrence Haynes shares his story of overcoming obesity. Dr. Karen Cooper, tells ESPN that Haynes was eating to kill himself.
Our own Dr. Leslie Heinberg (with a cameo by Dr. Cooper) was featured in an interview on the Channel 3 11:00 pm news on Thursday, April 30. She was interviewed by Susan Moses from TV3 regarding male eating disorders.
April 2009
New Procedures Provide Clues to Surgery's Effect on Diabetes
Symposium on Surgery For Diabetes Sparks Debate
March 2009
Study: Being obese can take years off your life
Dr. Stacy Brethauer is quoted in this Nurse.com article, Regaining Shape-Therapeutic Considerations After Bariatric Surgery.
January 22, 2009
Obesity epidemic shows perils to health reform.
Reforms unlikely to defeat obesity
January 21, 2009
Obesity is top health concern in US.
January 21, 2009
Users of Alli are finding what they likely suspected all along, pills are no magic substitute for diet and exercise.
January 20, 2009
Bariatric surgery leads to substantial and durable weight reduction. Nearly 30% of patients who undergo bariatric surgery have type 2 diabetes, and for many of them, diabetes resolves after surgery (84% to 98% for bypass procedures and 48% to 68% for restrictive procedures). Reported in the January 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine.
October 29, 2008
Recent report from the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that Bariatric Surgery Cuts Cardiovascular Risk in Obese Patients.
October 21, 2008
Weight-Loss Surgery, No Cutting Required
September 8, 2008
Does Weight Loss Surgery Lower the Risk of Getting Cancer?
According to a new study, weight-loos surgery is offset within two to four years by medical cost savings. Read the full WSJ article, Obesity Surgery Is Called Cost-Effective.
September 2008
A Study on the Economic Impact of Bariatric Surgery:Evaluating the private third-party payer return on investment for bariatric surgery in the United States.
July 18, 2008
The August issue of Oprah Magazine,features an article entitled: Beyond Stomach Stapling: What's New and Better
July 15, 2008
N.H. Governor lets bill become law on weight loss surgery. To come into effect in September 2008.
June 19, 2008
Gastric Bypass Surgery Cuts Cancer Risk, Researchers Say
June 18, 2008
Post-Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss Studied
March 31, 2008
Medical-device makers, venture capitalists and surgeons are racing to turn a once-controversial weight-loss procedure into the next big thing in elective surgery. Read the following Wall Street Journal article for more.
Two recent landmark studies in The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrate significant evidence that bariatric surgery reduces long-term mortality associated with obesity. Read the studies to learn more:
Bariatric surgery is not only successful for weight loss, but also for preventing, improving or resolving type 2 diabetes. Recent studies demonstrate that bariatric operations, particularly gastric bypass surgeries, can achieve a resolution rate as high as 83%. The Cleveland Clinic is at the forefront of type 2 diabetes surgeries. Learn about a clinical research study focusing on subjects with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Principal Investigators of the study are Drs. Philip Schauer, Sangeeta Kashyap, and Deepak Bhatt of the Cleveland Clinic.
What to Watch
One of the nation's heaviest men has weight loss surgery at Cleveland Clinic
On May 28th, Dr. Philip Schauer was featured on WKYC with his patient, Robert Woodbury, discussing Robert's most recent weight loss surgery. See the interview.
