Methodist Healthcare
February 22, 2011

Despite a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) endorsement that will allow more people with moderate obesity to qualify for lap-band weight loss surgery, a San Antonio doctor cautions that the procedure should not be used for cosmetic purposes. Dr. John Pilcher, has performed surgical weight loss surgery at Methodist Healthcare hospitals for more than 15 years. He believes it is sensible for a moderately obese person to consider weight loss surgery, but only after other treatment methods have failed.

Until now, weight loss surgery was reserved for individuals who suffered from severe morbid obesity, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or greater. The newly approved weight threshold means that Lap-Band surgery is deemed medically appropriate for individuals with a BMI of 30 or greater, if they also suffer from a significant medical problem that is related to their excess weight such as diabetes, high blood pressure, reflux, and more. The previous BMI level of 35 matches with an excess weight of about 70 pounds, and the new threshold at a BMI greater than 30 equates with about 50 pounds of excess weight. It is estimated that this change in eligibility criteria will double the number of Americans who are considered for bariatric surgery, bringing the total to approximately 37 million.

The FDA’s decision has created a divide in the medical community about this potentially broader application of surgical treatment for the disease of obesity. Many are concerned about the cost of surgical intervention, while others note that continued failure to correct the national rise in obesity will cost much more. Some object to giving obese individuals an “easy way out” through surgery, while medical research is strengthening the understanding that the use of willpower to treat obesity has a similar success rate to the use of lifestyle change alone for treatment of cancer.

“Weight loss surgery is not the easy way out. This is a courageous, thoughtful, proactive choice for people who want to change their lives in a positive way,” Pilcher says. “I have come to see that releasing a patient from the bonds of obesity is akin to curing cancer – it is not an exaggeration to say that we can give patients their lives back. I continue to feel that this area of surgery offers hope to many who have lost it, and I plan to provide this service until a non-surgical solution is found.”

Methodist Healthcare has weight loss surgery programs at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Methodist Texsan Hospital. For a free physician referral or more information on weight loss seminars at these Methodist Healthcare facilities, please call DoctorSource 210-575-0355.