| Weight loss surgery - safety rate varies enormously |
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| Tuesday, 14 November 2006 | |
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The number of bariatric surgical procedures has rocketed in recent years as the nation struggles with an obesity epidemic. According to the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, there were 171,000 such procedures carried out last year, with each procedure costing an average of $25,000. The most common form of bariatric surgery is a gastric bypass, in which the size of the stomach is reduced by separating the upper part from the lower part, bypassing part of the small intestine and reducing calorific absorption through the gut. The other most popular type of bariatric surgery is gastric banding, whereby an adjustable band is placed around the stomach and is tightened, causing the size of the stomach, and its available capacity, to shrink. The mortality rate for these operations is approximately 0.2%, meaning that 2 in every thousand patients will die from complications arising from bariatric surgery. However, although a relatively high mortality rate, it must be compared to the mortality rate of patients who do not succeed in addressing their morbid obesity. |
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