Surgical weight-loss procedures have come a long way in the last several decades. Not only have the procedures become much safer and much less invasive with the advent of laparoscopic surgery, but the surgical procedures themselves have come to be accepted in the medical field as having real health benefits rather than being viewed as simply cosmetic. The benefits to weight loss have been long-documented, and the benefits from weight-loss operations are now documented as well. However, weight-loss operations are still surgical procedures, and not to be undertaken lightly. The risks of undergoing an operation must always be weighed against the benefits of that operation. That said, the health risks posed by being seriously overweight usually outweigh the inherent risks of modern surgical weight-loss procedures. But every case is different. The criteria used to select appropriate candidates for weight-loss operations were derived from a consensus conference statement put out by the National Institute of Health in 1991, and though a great deal has emerged and changed in the field since that time, little has changed for most centers with respect to their approach to choosing weight-loss operation candidates.
Dr. Kent Sasse founded International Metabolic Institute to bring forward to individuals the state-of-the-art medical and scientific principles of physiologic weight reduction. Dr. Sasse is the author of numerous books and publications, and a featured speaker nationally in the field of weight reduction, bariatric medicine and surgery. Dr. Sasse completed his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at the University of California San Diego where he graduated cum laude. He completed his medical education at the University of California San Francisco, where he was honored with several awards, including membership in the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Society for top medical graduates in the country. He earned two Master's degrees from the University of California Berkeley, including a Master's in Public Health stemming from research related to biostatistics and bioethics. He went on to complete Residency training in Surgery at the University of California San Francisco, where he focused on gastrointestinal surgery and physiology. He later completed Fellowship training at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts, before relocating to beautiful northern Nevada to develop his practice.
In addition to funding and writing the content of the Sasse Guide Blog, Dr. Sasse founded Western Bariatric Institute, a nationally recognized surgical weight loss center and ASBS Center of Excellence, where he serves as medical director. Dr. Sasse dedicates himself to compassionate, thoughtful, and individualized care of the patient. He has written and pursues several IRB-approved research protocols regarding weight loss and weight loss surgery. He lectures frequently at the University of Nevada School of Medicine on topics related to weight reduction and obesity. As founder and Medical Director of iMetabolic , Dr. Sasse brings a wealth of experience in the field to the development of the highest quality medically-supervised weight reduction program. He and the outstanding medical faculty of iMetabolic dedicate themselves to the highest levels of compassionate medicine, scientific evidence, and customer service.
