The American Heart Association (AHA) on March 14, 2001 published a statement declaring that the AHA only supports bariatric surgery for the severely obese patients who have exhausted all other options to lose weight to lessen their cardiovascular risk.
This I am happy to see as after yesterdays announcement by the International Association for the Study of Obesity in London, United Kingdom suggests bariatric surgery for the pediatric population. While the statement was issued with the appropriate cautions, I was beginning to wonder where the bariatric surgeons were going to stop in their quest for additional patients to increase their cash flow.
At least now there is a voice of reason for not having this extreme surgery. The obesity committee of the AHA Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism summarizes the most current data on bariatric surgery. "Medical experience acquired up to now supports the efficiency and safety of surgery for weight loss in severely obese patients on the basis of metabolic profile, cardiac structure and function, and related disorders," including diabetes, dyslipidemia, liver disease, systematic hypertension, and sleep apnea. However, the surgery has historically carried an operative mortality risk between 0.1% and 2.0%, and complications include pulmonary embolus, anastomotic leaks, bleeding, anastomotic stricture, anastomotic ulcers, hernias, band slippage, and behavioral maladaptation.
A lot of medical terms are part of the statement, but looking them up was a good lesson in the types of problems encountered and left out of many discussions because people (bariatric surgeons and advocates) intentionally do not want to scare people away.
The definition for anastomotic is derived from anastomosis which means in anatomy, communication between blood vessels by means of collateral channels, especially when usual routes are obstructed. Another meaning is Surgery, Pathology, a joining of or opening between two organs or spaces that normally are not connected. Hope this helps in your understanding.
With this from the AHA, hopefully other medical organizations will add their voice to the discussion against bariatric surgery except for extreme cases. It is time that some science has been added to the discussion and that we can rely on something beside emotion and desire to add to retirement accounts. Hopefully the FDA is listening, but don't count on them soon.
Read the article by the AHA here and the British article here.
Showing posts with label Bariatric surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bariatric surgery. Show all posts
19 February 2011
More Bariatric Surgery Seems Unnecessary
It is easier to understand why bariatric surgery is being pushed harder for people with lower body mass index. The FDA has now approved the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding (LBAGB) System for obese adults with at least one obesity-related medical condition. This means that these people will no longer be available for bariatric surgery, and they don't want to lose a lucrative source of income.
The lap-band is an inflatable band that is placed around the upper part of your stomach and it is used to help limit the amount of food that can enter your stomach. The FDA's approval means lap-band surgery will now be available to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher who have at least one obesity-related condition, such as diabetes.
Previously, the lap-band system could only be used in adults with a BMI of at least 40 or a BMI of 35 or higher with at least one severe obesity-related medical condition. Now when the new research is put next to it, current guidelines, bariatric surgery is only indicated for the treatment of severe or morbid obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater.
By contrast, the new study is open to patients with a BMI as low as 26. Normal-weight individuals have BMI ranging between 19 and 25 and overweight individuals have BMI between 26 and 29, whereas a BMI above 30 defines obesity. Patients with a BMI below 26 and above 35 will not be considered for enrollment in the trial.
Previous research has shown that in severely obese patients (BMI greater than 35) gastric bypass surgery is a safe and effective way to treat Type 2 diabetes. It has been shown to improve or normalize blood glucose levels, reduce or even eliminate the need for medication, and lower the risk for diabetes-related death. Read my blog here about how bariatric surgery may only be masking the problems of diabetes.
The lap band was for BMI of 35 and higher and now is approved for BMI of 30 and higher so the bariatric surgeons who used to operate for BMI of 30 to 35 are investigating 25 to 29 to keep their income from expensive surgeries.
Read both articles, the one on bariatric surgeries here, and the lap-band article here.
The lap-band is an inflatable band that is placed around the upper part of your stomach and it is used to help limit the amount of food that can enter your stomach. The FDA's approval means lap-band surgery will now be available to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher who have at least one obesity-related condition, such as diabetes.
Previously, the lap-band system could only be used in adults with a BMI of at least 40 or a BMI of 35 or higher with at least one severe obesity-related medical condition. Now when the new research is put next to it, current guidelines, bariatric surgery is only indicated for the treatment of severe or morbid obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or greater.
By contrast, the new study is open to patients with a BMI as low as 26. Normal-weight individuals have BMI ranging between 19 and 25 and overweight individuals have BMI between 26 and 29, whereas a BMI above 30 defines obesity. Patients with a BMI below 26 and above 35 will not be considered for enrollment in the trial.
Previous research has shown that in severely obese patients (BMI greater than 35) gastric bypass surgery is a safe and effective way to treat Type 2 diabetes. It has been shown to improve or normalize blood glucose levels, reduce or even eliminate the need for medication, and lower the risk for diabetes-related death. Read my blog here about how bariatric surgery may only be masking the problems of diabetes.
The lap band was for BMI of 35 and higher and now is approved for BMI of 30 and higher so the bariatric surgeons who used to operate for BMI of 30 to 35 are investigating 25 to 29 to keep their income from expensive surgeries.
Read both articles, the one on bariatric surgeries here, and the lap-band article here.
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