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. 2024 Sep;34(9):3216-3228.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-024-07395-y. Epub 2024 Jul 24.

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeon Criteria-An International Experts' Consensus

Mohammad Kermansaravi  1 , Sonja Chiappetta  2 , Scott A Shikora  3 , Mario Musella  4 , Lilian Kow  5 , Edo Aarts  6 , Syed Imran Abbas  7 , Ahmad Aly  8 , Ali Aminian  9 , Luigi Angrisani  10 , Syed Tanseer Asghar  11 , Ahmad Bashir  12 , Estuardo Behrens  13 , Helmuth Billy  14 , Camilo Boza  15 , Wendy A Brown  16 , Daniel Oscar Caina  17 , Miguel A Carbajo  18 , Jean-Marc Chevallier  19 , Benjamin Clapp  20 , Ricardo V Cohen  21 , Amir Hossein Davarpanah Jazi  22 , Maurizio De Luca  23 , Bruno Dilemans  24 , Martin Fried  25 , Michel Gagner  26 , Manoel Galvao Neto  27 , Pierre Y Garneau  28   29 , Khaled Gawdat  30 , Omar M Ghanem  31 , Mohammed Al Hadad  32 , Ashraf Haddad  12 , Mohamad Hayssam ElFawal  33 , Miguel F Herrera  34 , Kelvin Higa  35 , Jaques Himpens  36 , Farah Husain  37 , Kazunori Kasama  38 , Radwan Kassir  39 , Mousa Khoursheed  40 , Haris Khwaja  41 , Jon A Kristinsson  42 , Matthew Kroh  43 , Marina S Kurian  44 , Muffazal Lakdawala  45 , Teresa LaMasters  46 , Wei-Jei Lee  47 , Brijesh Madhok  48 , Kamal Mahawar  49 , Tarek Mahdy  50 , Hazem Almomani  51 , John Melissas  52 , Karl Miller  53 , Alexander Neimark  54 , Taryel Omarov  55 , Mariano Palermo  56 , Pavlos K Papasavas  57 , Chetan Parmar  58 , Abdolreza Pazouki  22 , Ralph Peterli  59 , Tadeja Pintar  60 , Luis Poggi  61 , Jaime Ponce  62 , Arun Prasad  63 , Janey S A Pratt  64 , Almino C Ramos  65 , Masoud Rezvani  66 , Karl Rheinwalt  67 , Rui Ribeiro  68 , Elena Ruiz-Ucar  69 , Karim Sabry  70 , Bassem Safadi  71 , Asim Shabbir  72 , Shahab ShahabiShahmiri  22 , Erik Stenberg  73 , Michel Suter  74 , Safwan Taha  75 , Halit Eren Taskin  76 , Antonio Torres  77 , Sergio Verboonen  78 , Ramon Vilallonga  79 , Kelvin Voon  80 , Ala Wafa  81 , Cunchuan Wang  82 , Rudolf Weiner  83 , Wah Yang  82 , Natan Zundel  84 , Gerhard Prager  85 , Abdelrahman Nimeri  86
Affiliations

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeon Criteria-An International Experts' Consensus

Mohammad Kermansaravi et al. Obes Surg. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: With the global epidemic of obesity, the importance of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is greater than ever before. Performing these surgeries requires academic training and the completion of a dedicated fellowship training program. This study aimed to develop guidelines based on expert consensus using a modified Delphi method to create the criteria for metabolic and bariatric surgeons that must be mastered before obtaining privileges to perform MBS.

Methods: Eighty-nine recognized MBS surgeons from 42 countries participated in the Modified Delphi consensus to vote on 30 statements in two rounds. An agreement/disagreement among ≥ 70.0% of the experts was regarded to indicate a consensus.

Results: Consensus was reached on 29 out of 30 statements. Most experts agreed that before getting privileges to perform MBS, surgeons must hold a general surgery degree and complete or have completed a dedicated fellowship training program. The experts agreed that the learning curves for the various operative procedures are approximately 25-50 operations for the LSG, 50-75 for the OAGB, and 75-100 for the RYGB. 93.1% of experts agreed that MBS surgeons should diligently record patients' data in their National or Global database.

Conclusion: MBS surgeons should have a degree in general surgery and have been enrolled in a dedicated fellowship training program with a structured curriculum. The learning curve of MBS procedures is procedure dependent. MBS surgeons must demonstrate proficiency in managing postoperative complications, collaborate within a multidisciplinary team, commit to a minimum 2-year patient follow-up, and actively engage in national and international MBS societies.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Fellowship; Learning curve; Metabolic and bariatric surgeon; Metabolic surgery.

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