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Bariatric surgery is increasingly being considered for obese adolescents. Researchers reviewed data on bariatric surgery in the U.S. within a nationally representative population sample.
From 1996 to 2003, an estimated 2744 procedures were performed nationally. The rate of the procedure in adolescents held steady from 1996 to 2000 but increased more than threefold from 2000 to 2003. Still, adolescents accounted for only 0.73% of all procedures. Most patients were female, underwent a gastric bypass procedure, had no comorbid conditions, had private insurance, and were operated on at urban and teaching hospitals that performed between 1 and 10 bariatric procedures a year (71% performed only 1 or 2 a year). Major complications (most of them res…