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Archive for February, 2011

Study Shows Reduced Osteoarthritis Knee Pain After Bariatric Surgery

Thursday, February 24th, 2011 by newseditor

A new clinical research study by physicians at Penn State College of Medicine has shown that patients who have undergone bariatric surgery may experience reduced pain from osteoarthritis of the knees.

The study analyzed the knees of 24 patients who underwent bariatric (weight loss) surgery. Their condition was evaluated before the bariatric surgery and at periods 6 months and 12 months after the operation. Within the 6 month period, participants had lost an average of 57 pounds. Along with a general quality-of-life improvement and enhanced function, they also reported a reduction in knee pain and stiffness.

“Each individual had some kind of improvement in their pain from losing weight, some more than others, said Christopher Edwards, one of the study authors.

Findings of this study were planned for a presentation at Saturday’s specialty day program by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.

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FDA Expands Clearance for Allergan Lap Band Device

Monday, February 21st, 2011 by newseditor

lap band device used in bariatric surgery, picture from Allergan Inc

photo by Allergan Inc

Last week, Allergan announced that FDA clearance had been granted for the Lap Band to be used by obese patients with a BMI of 30 and one related medical condition.

The FDA’s previous rule stated that the Lap Band (laparoscopic gastric band) was restricted to adults with a BMI of 40, or adults with a BMI of 35 and a related medical condition.

The approval was backed by a recent study of the lap band, which included this “less obese” patient group. 149 men and women were involved, who had been obese for 17 years, on average.

The trial would be defined as successful if at least 40 percent of them lost a meaningful amount of weight (about 30 percent of the excess) during the first year.

The results showed that, within one year of lap band surgery, over 80 percent of patients lost at least 30 percent of their excess weight, or the amount above their ideal body weight. 65 percent were determined to no longer be obese after the study. The progress of the group will continue to be monitored for five years.

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Mommy Makeover Cosmetic Surgery on the Today Show

Friday, February 11th, 2011 by newseditor

While new moms are overjoyed after the birth of their child, many say they struggle trying to return their bodies to a youthful shape. In these cases, some women elect to have a mommy makeover series of cosmetic surgery procedures, which usually includes a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a breast lift or augmentation.
This video from the Today show is about “life changers” features a patient named Fatma Rice, who decided to undergo a mommy makeover after she couldn’t get her pre-baby body back.

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She says that after pregnancy, she “did everything in her power” to get back in shape, but “you take off your clothes in front of the mirror and it doesn’t look so great.” So she made a decision to do something about it with cosmetic surgery.

“I’m getting a mommy makeover,” she tells the Today show, where she also explains the transformation and shows off her mommy makeover before and after photos.

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Bariatric Procedures Shown to Reduce Weight and Adds Years to Life

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 by newseditor

A recently published study in Annals of Surgery sheds light on long-term mortality rates of bariatric surgery patients compared to their peers.

Physicians at the University of Milan have published an analysis of medical literature for 8 clinical trials spanning about 7.5 years, and involving more than 44,000 men and women, with about 14,000 bariatric surgery patients included.

Among this large group, deaths had occurred in 3,317. The researchers found a significantly higher rate of death among participants who did not undergo bariatric surgery. 2.8 percent of the deaths occurred in those who underwent bariatric surgery, while 9.7 percent occurred in similar participants who didn’t undergo weight loss surgery.

According to a Reuters news report published this week, the results from the study translate into “45 percent lower odds of dying with bariatric surgery.”

“Bariatric surgery reduces long-term mortality,” concluded the researchers. This includes both gastric band (Lap Band or Realize Band) and gastric bypass, but the gastric bypass procedure reportedly showed a greater effect on reducing cardiovascular mortality.

Read the study in Annals of Surgery

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