Expert Opinions
Weight Loss Surgery May be more Widely Used Another story coming out of the Archives of Surgery looks at the Medicare "Centers of Excellence" coverage ruling of February 2006. It says that:"more surgeries were concentrated at the certified centers, more surgeries were performed using minimally invasive techniques and the outcomes were better overall. Patients do better when they have surgery at high-volume centers and have minimally invasive techniques, the authors, from UC Irvine, wrote. It's likely, they said, that these improvements have also occurred in non-Medicare populations." Patients Have Better Outcomes at High-Volume, Minimally Invasive Facilities Another story coming out of the Archives of Surgery looks at the Medicare "Centers of Excellence" coverage ruling of February 2006. It says that:"more surgeries were concentrated at the certified centers, more surgeries were performed using minimally invasive techniques and the outcomes were better overall. Patients do better when they have surgery at high-volume centers and have minimally invasive techniques, the authors, from UC Irvine, wrote. It's likely, they said, that these improvements have also occurred in non-Medicare populations." To read more, click here...
Obesity is as Dangerous to Your Health as Smoking
Researchers at Columbia University and The City College of New York analyzed 1993-2008 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System that included interviews with more than 3.5 million adults. The results showed that the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost to obesity are equal to, or greater than, those lost because of smoking.
To read the entire article, click here.
GAINESVILLE, FL - AUGUST 22, 2007
Bariatric surgery is known to be the most effective and long lasting treatment for morbid obesity and many related conditions, but now mounting evidence suggests it may be among the most effective treatments for metabolic diseases and conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obstructive sleep apnea.
Read the full article from ASMBS here.
Obesity Responsible for 100,000 cancer cases annually!
CNN reports the startling statistics linking obesity and cancer. For the full article, click here.
Rationale for Surgery
In this article, authors review the state of weight loss/bariatric surgery, through 2005. They note the serious health risks associated with obesity; including higher death rates, and co-morbid conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, etc. They acknowlege the poor results of nonsurgical weight loss efforts; most patients regain all weight lost. They address many misconceptions regarding obesity, which can lead to social (and medical) stigma and prejudice. The authors then review proven long-term results of weight loss surgery, ranging from approximately 50-75% of excess body weight (EBW) kept off for bypass procedures, and 50% to 60% EBW kept off for simple restrictive procedures (like the adjustable gastric band). They also list rates of short-term surgical major and minor complication risks; note average operative death risk of only 0.27% (2-3 out of 1,000) for bypass procedures, and 0.14% (1-2 out of 10,000) for non-bypass (simple restrictive) procedures, like the adjustable gastric band. They emphasize the importance of long-term nutritional and surgical follow-up to reduce risk of nutritional deficiencies, and psychological follow-up if needed, to ensure maximal long-term success.
For the full article, click here.