Innovative Bariatric Procedures and Ethics in Bariatric Surgery: the IFSO Position Statement

Abstract

With the rise in obesity and bariatric procedures worldwide, there has been a surge in new and innovative procedures that has been increasingly offered to patients. In this position statement, IFSO highlights the importance of surgical ethics in innovation and when offering new procedures. Furthermore, the task force reviewed the current literature to describe which procedures can be offered as mainstream outside research protocols versus those that are still investigational and need further data.

Keywords: Alternative procedures; Ethics in bariatric surgery; Ethics in surgery; IFSO; Innovative procedures; Institutional review board (IRB); Position statement.