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Mlabasati et al . Mini-invasive Surg 2020;4:42 Mini-invasive Surgery
DOI: 10.20517/2574-1225.2020.32

Review Open Access

Early lessons on assembling a center for bariatric
endoscopy

Jack Mlabasati, Mohammad Bilal, Jonah Cohen
Center for Advanced Endoscopy, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Correspondence to: Dr. Jonah Cohen, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Bariatric Endoscopy, Center for Advanced
Endoscopy, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
E-mail: jmcohen@bidmc.harvard.edu

How to cite this article: Mlabasati J, Bilal M, Cohen J. Early lessons on assembling a center for bariatric endoscopy. Mini-
invasive Surg 2020;4:42. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1225.2020.32

Received: 27 Mar 2020 First Decision: 15 Apr 2020 Revised: 27 May 2020 Accepted: 11 Jun 2020 Published: 12 Jul 2020
Academic Editor: Wah Yang Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Tian Zhang

Abstract
As the obesity epidemic continues to grow, the need for effective management strategies is more important than
ever. There are several medical, endoscopic, and surgical management options available. The last decade has
seen a rise in endoscopic bariatric interventions. These minimally invasive therapies can be used for patients who
do not qualify or are unwilling to undergo bariatric surgery. Currently, there is limited formal training in bariatric
endoscopy. In this commentary, we discuss our experience in establishing a center for bariatric endoscopy at a
large academic medical center.

Keywords: Obesity, bariatric endoscopy, training, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty

INTRODUCTION
As the prevalence and global burden of obesity continue to rise worldwide, there is a growing need for
[1]
evidence-based interventions to address this issue . There are a multitude of adverse health consequences
associated with obesity, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, some
[2]
cancers, and an all-cause cardiovascular mortality . The economic burden of obesity is estimated to cost
[3]
approximately two trillion dollars annually .
The mainstay of obesity treatment includes lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery.
While pharmacologic therapy has demonstrated 5% to 10% weight loss compared to placebo, these effects
are relatively modest and tend to be short-lived. Although bariatric surgery has been shown to be effective
in achieving long-term weight loss, in countries following National Institute of Health criteria, it is

© The Author(s) 2020. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made.

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