Adolescent Bariatric Surgery

Supporting Your Child’s Long-Term Wellness

Childhood obesity is a complex condition that dramatically increases the risk of other serious health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health conditions. If your child has tried different weight-loss methods for severe obesity without success, adolescent bariatric surgery (also known as pediatric weight-loss surgery) is a procedure that can help children and teens achieve better health when combined with lifestyle changes.

Evaluation for adolescent bariatric surgery is extensive, and we know that it is not a decision you and your child are making lightly. Together with your family, our multispecialty adolescent bariatric care team will guide you through your personalized weight-loss options to determine the path that’s best for your child. AdventHealth for Children has the only Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program in Central Florida offering bariatric procedures and a range of support services to help your family maintain a healthier lifestyle.

We’re here to help you find the right physician or a location that’s convenient for you.

Surgical Weight-Loss Procedures

There are currently two bariatric procedures our team performs on adolescent patients. The right choice for a candidate will depend on many factors, including their goals, comorbidities and unique health history.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

Also known as gastric sleeve surgery, this procedure removes up to 80% of the stomach and can lead to rapid weight loss. The gastric sleeve has become a popular option since it doesn’t involve bypassing the small intestine and has a low rate of long-term complications. It is also still fairly effective at improving or potentially resolving Type 2 diabetes for many patients.
Gastric Bypass

Bypass surgery is designed to make the stomach much smaller. A smaller stomach pouch is created and connected directly to the small intestine. By enabling food to bypass much of the stomach and part of the small intestine, your child will get full more quickly, with less desire to eat, helping them keep the weight off for years to come.

Meet Our Comprehensive Care Team

Each patient is guided by a multidisciplinary team experienced in the metabolic and psychological needs of children and their families.

Indira Abraham Pratt, PHD — Indira Abraham-Pratt, PHD

Pediatric Clinical Health Psychologist

Aleksander Bernshteyn, MD

Pediatric Surgeon

Angela Fals, MD

Obesity Medicine Physician

Konda Reddy, MD

Pediatric Endocrinologist

Michael_Woodall_0269 — Michael Woodall

Exercise Physiologist

Nurse Care Coordinator for Adolescent Bariatrics — Carolyn Hudson

Nurse Care Coordinator

The adolescent bariatrics program at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando has been accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program for surgical treatment of severe obesity and its related conditions. To earn this designation, AdventHealth for Children in Orlando met stringent criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity.

We know your consideration of bariatric surgery involves a lot of questions. Here are some answers to some common questions and concerns.

At what age can parents consider bariatric surgery for their child?

What are the benefits of surgery?

While weight loss is the primary benefit associated with bariatric surgery, there are other important long-term benefits. With bariatric surgery, we see a large improvement in comorbidities associated with obesity.

Results can vary from patient to patient, but research shows there is up to a 95% resolution of Type 2 diabetes management, remission of abnormal kidney function of 86%, blood pressure remission or 74%, 66% reduction of dyslipidemia (lipid imbalance). There are also psychological and social benefits of improved self-confidence, greater activity and better lifestyle choices.

What risks will my child face?

How do I know if my child qualifies for bariatric surgery?

Each child is different and bariatric surgery is not appropriate for all children dealing with obesity. It offers an option for children who have not been able to maintain weight loss and control their health through their diet and lifestyle alone. To qualify for bariatric surgery, patients must be recommended for bariatric surgery by our bariatric care team after undergoing an evaluation process:

The patient will be entered into a 6-month weight loss program if they have not already completed one
They must complete the workup for bariatric surgery, including our online information session
There is a research component associated with this program; all patients approved for surgery will need to sign a consent form for data collection
Patients must be over their ideal body weight (BMI greater than 40 kg/M2 or BMI greater than 35 kg/M2 with medical problems)
We also use percentile of BMI; obesity of >99 percentile of BMI for age or severe obesity of >120 percentile of BMI for age

Adolescent Bariatric Surgery

Supporting Your Child’s Long-Term Wellness

Surgical Weight-Loss Procedures

Sleeve Gastrectomy

Gastric Bypass

Meet Our Comprehensive Care Team

Indira Abraham-Pratt, PHD

Aleksander Bernshteyn, MD

Angela Fals, MD

Konda Reddy, MD

Leslie Berry

Michael Woodall

Olivia De Fanti

Carolyn Hudson

Trusted Care from Our Accredited Team

Adolescent Weight-Loss Surgery FAQs

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Continued Care for Adults

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