Bariatric Surgery

For amounts of CAD 6,000 and less, we accept all forms of payment including credit card. The deadline for payment is one week before the date of surgery (for surgery) and, for minor interventions (such as gastroscopy), until the day before the procedure.

Due to the unpredictable situation, health guidelines have recently been changed. As of January 2022, COVID-19 testing is again required for all patients and accompanying persons (hotel permits only), despite the number of vaccines received.

The COVID-19 test must be done within 3 days prior to the gastroscopy/surgery. If you plan to have the gastroscopy done through the Michel Gagner Clinic, you must therefore have a second COVID-19 test before the surgery. A test done outside of the required time frame will not be accepted. In addition, the test must be a PCR test (nasopharyngeal or by gargle). Rapid tests are not accepted.

If you are traveling by plane or train to Montreal, the COVID-19 test must be completed upon arrival at your destination. Please plan for this additional time when planning your trip.

You have the option of completing the test at the operating room (at a cost of $200) or at the public system testing clinics. If you are interested in completing the test with us, please notify the clinic to arrange an appointment. If you are planning to do the test on your own, either privately or in the public system, please inquire about the time frame for obtaining the results as you will be responsible for sending us the results before the day of your surgery.

The liquid/preoperative diet is a low-calorie diet prescribed by your bariatric surgeon. The ultimate goal of this diet is to make you lose weight before surgery in order to reduce the risk of complications and the overall recovery time. Generally speaking, the duration of this diet can vary from 1 to 4 weeks. The specifics of the liquid/preoperative diet will be communicated to you during the preoperative interview with your nutritionist.

The goals of this liquid diet

• Decrease the size of the liver

• Lose 5% - 10% of the excess weight before surgery

• To begin making healthy lifestyle changes in order to improve surgical outcomes and increase long-term success rates

As the name implies, the day before surgery diet applies only to the day before the operation. The purpose of this diet is to avoid the presence of food residues in the stomach at the time of the surgery. The specifics of the day before surgery diet will be communicated to you during the preoperative interview with your nurse.

If you live more than 2 hours away from Montreal, unless otherwise advised, we recommend that you stay in the region for a total of 5 days, including the 48-hour stay under our charge.

If you have sleep apnea, symptoms may be exacerbated by general anesthesia in the immediate postoperative period. As a result, supplemental oxygen alone may not be sufficient. For your safety, we ask that you bring the CPAP machine with you during your stay as it will be used if your condition requires it, otherwise the surgeon may refuse to perform the surgery.