Background

The use of Bariatric surgery and anti-obesity medications (AOMs) for children and teens has expanded rapidly in the last decade with life-changing outcomes for patients with obesity. The use of AOMs on the way to Bariatric surgery has begun to gather attention in the literature, with a focus to date on adult patients[i]. Meaningfully, the use of AOMs before surgery can reduce pre-operative Body Mass Index (BMI), thereby improving surgical outcomes, improve overall weight loss potential and help patients with motivation. To date, no data or best practices have been published on the use of AOMs prior to adolescent bariatric surgery. The goal of this proposal is to provide an overview of a pathway for AOM use for adolescents in the pre-surgical period prior to bariatric surgery. An overview of the adult literature and the use of AOMs in non-surgical populations will be reviewed. Our preliminary work using AOMs for adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery including approach, logistics and lessons learned will be discussed. Several case examples will be used to illustrate findings. We will review how AOM use is integrated smoothly into the already busy pre-operative preparation period. i. Vosburg, R. Wesley et al. "Literature Review on Antiobesity Medication Use for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patients from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Clinical Issues Committee." Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases 18.9 (2022): 1109-119. Web