10-Fold Rise in Obesity Surgery

Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 15 2010 | 12,341 views

A study has discovered that the use of bariatric (weight loss) surgery has increased ten-fold in hospitals in England since 2000. One reason for this rapid rise is increased demand from obese patients.

Bariatric surgery is performed on people who are dangerously obese. Techniques include gastric banding, gastric bypass, or sleeve gastrectomy, which reduce the size of the stomach in various ways.

According to Science Daily:

“A total of 6,953 bariatric procedures were carried out during the study period. The number of procedures rose more than ten-fold from 238 in 2000 to 2,543 in 2007.”

Think Twice Before Going Under the Knife to Lose Weight

Weight loss surgery, which includes gastric banding and the more invasive gastric bypass, may seem like a quick fix, but it is NOT a safe solution because of the many negative long-term health consequences inherent with either of these surgical options.

Over 40 percent of weight loss surgeries result in major complications within six months, including black-outs, malnutrition, infection, kidney stones, bowel and gallbladder problems, liver failure, and, worst, an increased risk of death.  In case you skimmed the last paragraph let me state that again in different words.  Nearly HALF of those having the surgery have MAJOR complications.

In fact, whereas all surgeries have inherent risks, bariatric surgeries seem to have a much higher ratio of complications. In fact, you are far more likely to suffer an adverse event from these types of surgeries than not.

According to LapBand.com, one American clinical study that included a 3-year follow-up reported that a staggering 88 percent of gastric banding patients experienced one or more adverse events, ranging from mild to severe.

Gastric banding consists of surgically inserting a band around the top section of your stomach, and cinching it into a small pouch. Common complications from gastric banding included:

·         Gastroesophageal reflux, 34 percent

·         Band slippage and/or pouch dilation, 24 percent, (which means you'll need another surgery)

·         Stomach obstruction, 14 percent

·         Esophageal dilation and reduced esophageal function, 11 percent

·         Difficulty swallowing, 9 percent

·         Leaking or twisted access port into the stomach, 9 percent

·         Band eroding into the stomach, 1.3 percent, which requires band removal

The complications are often so debilitating that patients opt to have the bands removed completely. In the study noted above, 25 percent of the patients ended up getting the lap band permanently removed, two-thirds of them due the adverse events suffered.

This is another important point that you need to understand before the surgery. ONE IN FOUR of the patients who had the surgery had the bands removed.

Sources:

  Science Daily August 26, 2010