BACKGROUNDS Publicly funded obesity surgery remains underfunded in Australia. One barrier to expansion is the perception that perioperative care requires critical care facilities. This study evaluates the effectiveness of patient selection criteria in avoiding unplanned patient transfer and adverse outcomes in obesity surgery performed at a facility without a high-dependency unit/intensive care unit (HDU/ICU). METHODS Retrospective analysis was performed on patients undergoing obesity surgery between January 2017 and March 2020 in a centre with specific screening criteria. Criteria included: body mass index
