New Trends in Bariatric and Metabolic Interventions

Obesity has become a major global problem that continues to spread in both developed and developing countries. It costs more than any other health problem due to its prevalence and its many costly complications such as diabetes, heart disease as well as disability and loss of production. While prevention is the best approach for the future, the current problem lies with managing those who are already obese or morbidly obese who constitute close to two thirds of the population in many countries. Diet, exercise, and behavioral change are the mainstay for any meaningful attempt for significant and durable weight loss. Unfortunately, for those who are morbidly obese, these measures alone almost consistently fail to achieve acceptable weight loss in the long term. Today, bariatric surgery and the new interventions are the only evidence-based treatment for morbid obesity with low complication rate and acceptable results in the long term for both, weight loss and resolution of comorbidities. No books were currently published with the intention to describe the new interventions in obesity such as drugs, balloons, endoscopy and the new cutting-edge techniques. In these exciting times, the four international editors wanted to capture the most up-to-date standards of practice at a time of change, excitement, and lots of controversy. The intention is to give a reliable reference to guide the practicing physician anywhere in the world, and from whatever specialty (surgeon, gastroenterologist, endoscopist, nutritionist and endocrinologists) to navigate through the many current options of therapy in this rapidly changing field. We aim to provide high definition, edited, illustration of these techniques to go with the didactic chapters done by the thought leaders. In addition to the technical part, an important part of the book will be focused on quality and outcome measures. The rapid growth and innovations impose the need for strict guidelines and quality control. We invited the leaders who created the concept of “Centers of Excellence” to shed the light on outcome measures and different ways to monitor quality. This will appeal to administrators and different ancillary service providers. All these features will differentiate the book from others that only discuss the surgical component, and will broaden the level of interest to all who are involved in the management of this complex disease. The book will appeal to general surgeons, bariatric surgeons, endoscopist, nutritionist, endocrinologists and gastroenterologists with interest in obesity management as well as researchers with interest in obesity. It will also engage dietitians, diabetes specialists, and psychotherapists with interest in obesity management, and residents and fellows training in general and bariatric surgery as well as in endoscopy.