Bariatric surgery relatively safe for weight loss

Advances in bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) have made this procedure as safe as any routine surgical procedure, as per researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

Researcher reviewed data from nearly 60,000 patients and found that bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery resulted in low complication and mortality rates.

The analysis, compiled from the largest repository of bariatric surgery patients ever recorded, indicates complication rates hover around 10 percent – with the most common complaint being nausea/vomiting. Total mortality rate was under one percent (0.135%) with 78 deaths reported among 57,918 patients.

More than 200,000 people undergo bariatric surgery each year, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), making it one of the most commonly performed procedures in the U.S.

The safety results are the first to be derived from the Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database (BOLD), compiled by the Surgical Review Corporation. The SRC is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and metabolic surgical care worldwide. . SRC has designated nearly 650 surgeons and more than 350 hospitals and freestanding outpatient facilities since launching the centers of excellence for bariatric surgery in 2003.

In this first analysis of bariatric surgery patients, the report found:

- Nearly all (94.08%) are between the ages of 19-65. Less than one percent (.14%) are under 19 while 5.67% are older than 65.

- Three-quarters (78.76%) are women.

- Most are Caucasian (78.12%). African Americans comprise 10% of the patient population; Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans make up the rest.

- More than half of the procedures performed are gastric bypass (54.8%), followed by gastric banding (39.8%).

The data collection effort is significant because "it will help us understand how to better care for bariatric surgery patients now and in the future," says DeMaria, chairman of SRC's research advisory committee.


(Editor compiled and published Bariatric surgery relatively safe for weight loss at HealthNewsTrack on June 25, 2009 sourced from Duke University Medical Center - http://www.dukemednews.org/)

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