Is Gastric Bypass Better Than Gastric Banding?

by Kimberly Taylor on January 23, 2012 · Comments | Bariatric Surgery Study

Gastric Bypass vs Gastric BandingA study of two popular types of bariatric surgery suggests that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is associated with better weight loss and a greater improvement in comorbidities than gastric banding.

The study findings further suggest that gastric banding involves more long-term complications and higher reoperation rates than gastric bypass, while gastric bypass has a higher rate of early complications.

According to the researchers, the study, which was published in the January 16th online edition of the Archives of Surgery, shows that gastric bypass “seems clearly superior” to gastric banding.

While the researchers based their conclusion on study data, it is important to consider the study design and other factors involved in weight loss surgery before we can say that one procedure is definitively better than another.

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5 Points on Safety and Risks of Lap Band Surgery

by Kimberly Taylor on December 27, 2011 · Comments | Lap Band Surgery

Safety and Risks of Lap Band SurgeryOn December 13, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it had issued warning letters to eight California surgical centers and the marketing firm 1-800-GET-THIN LLC, for misleading advertising of the Lap-Band, a medical device approved by the FDA for weight loss in obese adults.

According to the FDA, the Lap-Band ads used by these companies failed “to provide required risk information, including warnings, precautions, possible side effects and contraindications.”

The “FDA’s concern”, says Steven Silverman, director of the Office of Compliance in FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, “is that these ads glamorize the Lap-Band without communicating any of the risks. Consumers, who may be influenced by misleading advertising, need to be fully aware of the risks of any surgical procedure.”

In support of this action, here are five points on the safety and risks of lap band surgery for prospective patients to consider:

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ASMBS Updates Position Statement on Sleeve Gastrectomy

by Kerri Seidler on November 15, 2011 · 1 comment | Weight Loss Surgery

ASMBS Gastric Sleeve Policy StatementThe American Society For Metabolic And Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recently issued an Updated Position Statement on Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy as a Bariatric Procedure.

The ASMBS statement highlights the “substantial comparative and long-term data now published in the peer-reviewed literature demonstrating durable weight loss, improved medical comorbidities, long-term patient satisfaction, and improved quality of life after SG (Sleeve Gastrectomy).”

As a result, the ASMBS “recognizes sleeve gastrectomy as an acceptable option as a primary bariatric procedure and as a first stage procedure in high risk patients as part of a planned staged approach.”

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Gastric Band Port Flip Reduced with Synthetic Mesh

by Kerri Seidler on November 8, 2011 · Comments | New Technology

Polypropylene Mesh Gastric Band PortA study published online in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases highlights one surgeon’s experience in using mesh fixation of the gastric band port to reduce port flip complications in patients following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Port flip, one of the more common complications associated with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, happens in about 2% of lap band patients. In this study, only 2 patients out of 564 required a reoperation to reposition the port, representing a 0.3% port flip rate.

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Bariatric Surgery Trends in California Hospitals

by David Alexander on November 1, 2011 · Comments | Weight Loss Surgery

Bariatric Surgery TrendsThe increasing popularity of weight loss surgery prompted the State of California to examine hospitalization data for bariatric procedures, focusing on patient characteristics, cost, outcomes, and the hospitals where the surgeries were performed.

Among the key findings of the report is the fairly recent and rapid shift away from open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the rapid increase in Lap-Band procedures, the low mortality rates as well as the more common complication and hospital readmission rates associated with bariatric surgery.

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STARR Treatment Next Step in Weight Loss Surgery

by Kerri Seidler on October 25, 2011 · Comments | New Technology

STARR Treatment for Bariatric SurgeryBariatric surgery continues to advance with improvements in procedures and techniques that can benefit patients with safer, quicker, and better surgical outcomes.

One of the latest advances to emerge in weight loss surgery is a new surgical platform known as the STARR Treatment. STARR, an acronym for Surgical Tiny Access and Rapid Recovery is not a new type of weight loss surgery, but an innovative laparoscopic system that improves upon current techniques for minimally invasive weight loss surgery.

The STARR Treatment is made possible with the SPIDER Surgical System and the SPIDER MicroLap line of tools from the medical device company TransEnterix. Using this newer laparoscopic system, bariatric surgeons can perform laparoscopic weight loss surgery through a small, single incision usually located in the patient’s belly button.

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Bariatric Surgery Safety and Outcomes in Extremely Obese Patients

by Kimberly Taylor on October 19, 2011 · Comments | Weight Loss Surgery

Bariatric Surgery in Extremely Obese PatientsA recently published study highlights the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic bariatric surgery on extremely obese patients as well as the outcomes of different surgical approaches.

Although it would seem that the most likely candidates for bariatric surgery are those with the most weight to lose, they often do not qualify for bariatric surgery. Surgery of any type, including bariatric surgery, is generally associated with greater surgical risks in patients with a very high body mass index (BMI), due to technical difficulties and severe weight related comorbidities.

In many cases, these potential risks often delay or postpone surgical intervention in extremely obese patients, even though they could greatly improve their health and quality of life with a significant reduction in excess weight that can be achieved with bariatric surgery.

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Body Contouring After Bariatric Surgery

by Kimberly Taylor on October 13, 2011 · 1 comment | Weight Loss Surgery

Plastic Surgery after Bariatric SurgeryA new study finds that the majority of post-bariatric surgery patients are not informed of the multitude of body contouring procedures available to them, even though such a procedure could benefit their health, comfort, and quality of life.

The study also found that many of these patients would consider undergoing a body contouring procedure if made aware of their options and that many of the patients who showed an interest in pursuing body contouring procedures felt they would be unable to afford them.

In post-bariatric surgery patients, body contouring plastic surgery “Isn’t just aesthetic surgery, ” says Jason Spector, MD, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Member Surgeon and study lead author, “It is necessary surgery that rehabilitates patients, alleviates discomfort, and improves overall quality of life.”

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CMS Considers Coverage of Gastric Sleeve

by David Alexander on October 11, 2011 · Comments | Weight Loss Surgery

Medicare Coverage for Gastric SleeveThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said they will consider a proposal to cover laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a treatment for obesity for Medicare beneficiaries.

The agency is requesting public comments to determine “whether there is adequate evidence, including clinical trials, for evaluating health outcomes of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for the indications listed in the current Bariatric Surgery for the Treatment of Morbid Obesity National Coverage Determination.”

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Initial Gastric Plication Results Positive

by Kerri Seidler on October 6, 2011 · Comments | Weight Loss Surgery

Gastric Plication SurgeryA recent study finds that laparoscopic greater curvature plication, compared to other restrictive bariatric procedures, is a feasible, safe, and effective procedure for short-term excess weight loss with low complication rates.

The laparoscopic greater curvature plication (LGCP) procedure, also known as gastric plication, is a new restrictive bariatric surgical technique that reduces stomach capacity by more than two-thirds to increase the feeling of fullness with a smaller amount of food, reduce food intake, and enable weight loss.

Unlike other types of bariatric surgery, gastric plication does not involve the use of a medical device or gastric resection to reduce stomach volume. Rather, the procedure involves folding the stomach inside itself and then stitching it up along the greater curvature. The procedure is minimally-invasive and can be reversed.

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