Pre-admission testing for vsg

I'm a newbie here....hoping to have vsg done at barix in ypsilanti, MI in spring '10...have a long drive there from owen sound, ON.  Can anyone tell me what's involved in the PATS and how close to your surgery date they can be done? thanks

My doctor ordered a chest xray, EKG, and a letter from my PCP.  These could be done more that 30 days in advance of surgery.  I also had to do labs within 30 days of surgery, including all the standard stuff (cholesterol, fasting glucose), A1C, and thyroid.

It varies by surgeon, program, and patient. Some require a sleep study for sleep apnea, some require a cardiac stress test, some require more extensive labs than others...for me, I just needed a chest x-ray, an EKG, and a physical with my PCP including basic labs. The only way to know for sure is to contact your surgeon's office.

Mine were supposed to be two weeks before but given my travel situation I did them ten days before and saw my primary 8 days before for the primary approval.  If you speak to your surgeon office they may be able to offer an earlier or later option bases on the travel situation.

Pre-op workup is highly variable.

What SHOULD be included (and made mandatory) are: 

Cardiac clearance (stress test not always required, but it isn't a bad thing to have if you are over 40).

A complete psychological evaluation.  This is critical, because if you don't have the motivation, etc., you just won't stick with it to lose the weight.  And if you are depressed, bipolar, or have any other significant condition, they need to know this, because this surgery can REALLY throw off your body chemistry. 

Far too many people have this kind of surgery, with no intention of following through with what they have to do.  Some even fake their way through their psych eval. (I have seen pointers on how to cheat posted here on this forum.)                NOTE:  Sadly, some surgeons are so interested in making money that they don't require this.  You see the people that were not ready for weight loss surgery in the "Failed Weight Loss Surgery Forum".

Complete lab workups, including all standard blood tests, chem panel, and a vitamin panel.

A complete and very thorough medical history should be taken.

You also NEED good followup.  Your surgeon, if he/she is not local, should let your family doctor know, in detail, about what they should be doing, including lab work, etc.

The surgeon should communicate with your personal physician, about your general health, follow-up, and what your physician should expect to see after the surgery.

thanks to all *****sponded.  it sounds like there are no hard-and-fast rules for PATS, so this is something I will make sure I speak to my surgeon about at the consultation.  Barix has already sent my PCP a laundry list of tests that need to be done.  looks like all is progressing well