Morbid obesity affects 4 million adults in the United States. Being severely overweight is associated with a variety of medical conditions as well as an increased mortality rate. Several studies have documented that the benefits of bariatric surgery far outweigh the risks, and bariatric surgery is increasingly recognized as an attractive and viable treatment option for those who are morbidly obese.

Researchers have found that obese patients undergoing gastric bypass may reduce their risk of death over a period of seven years by up to 40 percent and cut their chance of heart disease over the same time period by up to 56 percent, compared with people who did not have the surgery. This session will discuss bariatric surgery as a viable option for the treatment of severe obesity and question whether this option may result in long-term weight loss and improved lifestyle.

This educational activity consists of recorded presentations from the 2010 Innovations in Wellness and Disease Management conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 17-18, 2010. For more information on additional presentations from this event please go to, http://www.optumhealtheducation.com/cme/wellness/innovations-in-wellness-and-disease-management.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to

1. Discuss bariatric surgery as a viable option for the treatment of severe obesity.
2. Explore whether bariatric surgery may result in long-term weight loss and improved lifestyle.
3. Compare outcomes for obese patients that undergo bariatric surgery versus those that did not have the surgery (i.e., risk of heart disease and death).

Presenter
Sayeed Ikramuddin, MD
Director, Gastrointestinal Surgery
Co-Director, Center of Minimally Invasive Surgery
Associate Professor, Division of General Surgery
Robert and Katherine Goodale Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery
University of Minnesota
Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Faculty Disclosures
As a sponsor accredited by the ACCME, Institute for the Advancement of Human Behavior and OptumHealth Education requires the disclosure of any significant financial interest or other relationship a faculty member or sponsor has with the manufacturer(s) of any product discussed in this educational presentation. The faculty reported the following:

Sayeed Ikramuddin, MD
Grant/Research Support: Covidien
Consultant/Scientific Advisor: Ethicon
This conflict of interest was resolved by limiting Dr Ikramuddin to data and results.
Dr Ikramuddin does not intend to discuss unapproved/investigative use of commercial products/devices.

Staff Disclosures
In compliance with the ACCME's Standards for Commercial Support, employees of OptumHealth Education who have control over content of a CME activity are required to disclose their relevant financial relationships. No employee has a relevant financial relationship regarding this activity.

Disclosure of Unlabeled or Investigational Drugs
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. Further, attendees/participants should appraise the information presented critically and are encouraged to consult appropriate resources for any product or device mentioned in this program.

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Sponsored By
This activity is jointly sponsored by the Institute for the Advancement of Human Behavior and OptumHealth Education.