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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.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery, gastric bypass, lap band
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FDA Expands Clearance for Allergan Lap Band Device

Monday, February 21st, 2011 by newseditor

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.

Tags: lap band fda
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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

Tags: gastric band, gastric bypass
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Researchers Estimate Economic Cost of Obesity at $300 Billion Per Year

Thursday, January 13th, 2011 by newseditor

A recent study conducted by the Society of Actuaries, suggests that the estimated economic cost of obesity (and being overweight) in North America is around $300 billion.

The total cost was based on a combination of increased medical costs, mortality, disability and decreased productivity. The findings were revealed through a systematic review of nearly 500 research articles written over the past 30 years.

“There is substantial evidence that overweight and obesity are becoming world-wide epidemics, and are having negative impacts on health and mortality,” said researcher Don Behan. The Society is reportedly working with health insurance companies to create better incentives for consumers to work toward healthy lifestyles.

As the obesity epidemic becomes more widespread and healthcare costs rise, more people are turning to bariatric surgery as part of their a weight loss solution. Last month, the FDA announced that they were reviewing the approval indications for the laparoscopic gastric band to determine if patients with a lower body mass index (30-35 BMI) could benefit.

In addition to the popular lap band, patients considering bariatric surgery can choose from the comparable Realize Band®, Gastric Bypass or the Gastric Sleeve. Although bariatric surgery is not suitable for every obese or overweight person, these procedures are now one of the many possible solutions for the growing problem of obesity in America.

Tags: gastric bypass, lap band
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Predicted Cosmetic Surgery Trends for 2011

Friday, December 24th, 2010 by editor2

Cosmetic plastic surgeons from around the country weighed in on upcoming trends in cosmetic surgery, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) put together a list of 2011 cosmetic surgery predictions based on the surgeons’ feedback.

Facelifts, injectables, and body contouring are three of the procedures where they are predicting growth.

As the economy improves, the demand for facelift surgery will increase, as those who have been putting off the surgery may be more likely to get it in 2011, according to the society.

Already the most popular non-surgical procedure according to ASAPS’s 2009 statistics, injectables (such as Botox, Juvederm and Restylane) will continue to grow in popularity as they evolve and new products become available on the market.

Body contouring procedures will also be on the rise as more obese people may turn to weight loss surgery given the health dangers of obesity. That will lead to an increase in body contouring cosmetic procedures to tighten and remove excess skin after dramatic weight loss.

The society also predicts that more patients will be seeking “posterior body lifts, buttock lifts and surgical and nonsurgical buttock augmentations to shape and augment their buttocks” thanks in part to celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Beyonce who have made it a “must-have accessory.”

The society sees change ahead in fat reduction techniques. While liposuction will remain the standard in surgical fat reduction, new non-surgical techniques will continue to be developed, including freezing, zapping and lasering fat, as possible alternatives to surgery.

Unfortunately, the society also sees consumers looking for bargains on cosmetic procedures. Procedures, such as “discount injectables” bought overseas and cosmetic procedures performed by untrained practitioners will lead to an increase in cosmetic surgery “horror” stories. Always research your cosmetic surgeon to ensure he or she is well-trained in cosmetic surgery.

Read the full list of predictions at surgery.org.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery, body contouring, Botox, cosmetic surgery, facelift
Posted in Bariatric Surgery, Body Cosmetic Surgery, Facial Cosmetic Surgery, In the News, Injectable treatments | 1 Comment »

FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Approval to Expand Use of Lap Band

Sunday, December 5th, 2010 by editor2

Before and after photos of a Lap Band patient (image courtesy of Allergan.com)

Allergan Inc. announced that an FDA Advisory Committee has recommended with an 8-2 vote that the FDA extend the currently approved use of the company’s Lad Band® System, used for weight loss surgery, to patients that have a body mass index below 40.

The Lap Band, which is an inflatable silicone device that gets placed on the upper portion of the stomach, limiting the patient’s intake of food and suppressing hunger, is currently indicated for patients with:

BMI of 40 or higher
BMI of 35 or higher combined with a health problem such as diabetes or high blood pressure

The change would make the Lap Band available to patients who are at BMI of 35 or higher or patients with a BMI of 30 or higher and at least one additional weight-related health problem.

The FDA committee’s decision came after a five-year study of 149 obese patients treated with the Lap Band that found over 80 percent lost at least 30 percent of their weight after one year.

The FDA will make a final decision on the wider use, but the agency typically follows the advice of its advisory panels, according to an msnbc article.

Wider approval could make millions more people eligible for the Lap Band surgery. About 15 million Americans are candidates under the current guidelines for use and about 27 million more fit under the broader group, Allergan said.

To learn more about the Lap Band procedure and to discuss whether you are a good candidate, contact the Advanced Cosmetic Surgery office of Dr. Frenzel to schedule a consultation.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery, lap band
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New Guidelines for Post Bariatric Surgery Care Published

Thursday, November 11th, 2010 by editor2

Bariatric surgery is becoming more common—the Endocrine Society estimates that around 200,000 weight loss surgeries were performed last year. Because of this, the society put together a task force that has published guidelines for post-op bariatric surgery follow-up and monitoring.

Seventeen recommendations were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by the task force headed by David Heber, MD, PhD, of the University of California Los Angeles.

Some of the recommendations include that clinicians should:

Monitor bone density and serum nutrient levels after weight loss procedures that can reduce nutrient absorption.
Consider vitamin and mineral supplements for all patients who’ve had weight-loss surgery.

The guidelines also recommended patients should have postoperative diets that include 60 to 120 grams of protein per day both immediately after surgery and for long-term nutritional management.

The task force wrote:

To guide patients through the transition to life after bariatric surgery, a multidisciplinary team that includes an experienced primary care physician, endocrinologist, or gastroenterologist should provide care, and patients should consider enrolling postoperatively in a comprehensive program for nutrition and lifestyle management.

Such support can ease the transition to life after bariatric surgery and may help prevent weight regain.

The task force also recommended that patients should be monitored for nutrient deficiencies, and they included a symptom list for deficiencies in six major vitamins and minerals.

They also called for more rigorous study of diabetes and other metabolic disorders in bariatric surgery patients, to obtain better data on long-term outcomes and possible complications such as insulin-mediated hypoglycemia.

The abstract is available online. Dr. Frenzel at Advanced Cosmetic Surgery in Arlington, Texas is an expert in the field of bariatric surgery, and he performs several weight loss surgeries, including lap band, gastric bypass, and gastric sleeve.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery, postop bariatric surgery, weight loss surgery
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Weight Loss Surgery for Teens May Head Off Lifetime of Obesity

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 by editor2

While some doctors may be reluctant to perform weight loss surgery on teens, new studies suggest that this measure might help patients head off a lifetime of obesity.

“There’s certainly a feeling among health-care providers and families that little Johnny is really getting heavier and heavier, but all he needs to do is put his mind to it and he can reverse this,” said Dr. Thomas Inge, director of the Center for Bariatric Research and Innovation at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “But that is clearly not working for some kids. Until you bring up the option of bariatric surgery for those patients, you haven’t done your job as a doctor.”

Inge’s study of 61 teens found that those with very high body mass indexes (BMI) lost more than one-third of their weight after gastric bypass, but were still heavy enough to be considered morbidly obese.

“We are seeing patients…who are coming to us routinely with a BMI of the high 50s and 60s and 70s,” Inge said. “When we can get to these kids with BMIs in the 40s, we can have a decent chance of turning around their morbid obesity. When BMIs are higher than that, very often we can get their weight down, but they’re still going to remain morbidly obese even after treatment. Once they get into the high 50s and beyond, I think we’ve done the kid a disservice.”

Another small study of 50 severely obese Australian teenagers found that those who had weight loss surgery were much more successful in losing weight. Eighty-four percent of teens who had the surgery lost more than half their excess weight, while only 12 percent of the kids who tried dieting and exercise reached this goal.

Teens who are candidates for bariatric should have already undergone the majority of their linear growth, said Dr. Lori Laffel, chief of the pediatric, adolescent and young adult section at the Joslin Diabetes Center. That would limit weight loss surgery for the most part to girls older than 13 and boys older than 15, she said.

Laffel and Inge agreed that the teenager must also display a certain level of emotional maturity and have a supportive family. For more information, visit womenshealth.gov.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery
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Bariatric Surgery May Improve Memory

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 by editor2

Three months after bariatric surgery patients had a significant improvement in memory function, according to research conducted by Gladys Strain, PhD, director of research for laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass, is an effective obesity treatment, but its effects on cognition have not been well studied, says Strain.

Her study compared 120 bariatric surgery patients (most with gastric bypass and some with lap band) and 60 obese patients who had not undergone surgery. Participants were tested for attention, executive function, memory and language skills before and after surgery, within a 12-week period.

For attention, executive function and language, there were no changes during that three months for the patients, according to Strain. However, there was improvement in memory among the bariatric surgery patients, which was not found in the comparison group.

It’s not clear why the patients’ memories improved. “Bariatric patients have an increased incidence of depressive disorders and anxiety and sedentary lifestyles,” Strain says. As they lose weight, that depression may lift, perhaps explaining the improvement in cognitive skills, she says.

More information about this study is available on WebMD.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery, gastric bypass, lap band
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Study Finds Bariatric Surgery Reduces Risk of Gestational Diabetes

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 by editor2

Obesity is becoming a bigger health issue in the United States every day. A new study released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that after a review of the 33 leading world economies, the U.S. came in first with the most overweight population.

They estimated that about a third of Americans are obese or at least 30 pounds overweight.

One option for the overweight and obese is bariatric surgery. Through a bariatric procedure, such as lap band or gastric bypass, patients can achieve a significant weight reduction, as well as an improvement in general health. Weight loss surgery works by limiting the amount of food a person can consume.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons highlighted one of the health benefits. It found that obese women who have weight loss surgery before they get pregnant are three times less likely to develop gestational diabetes and are also less likely to require a cesarean section.

The researchers compared rates of gestational diabetes among 346 obese women who had bariatric surgery before pregnancy and 354 obese women who had bariatric surgery after delivery.

The study found:

Rates of gestational diabetes were 8 percent for those who had the surgery before pregnancy
Rates of gestational diabetes were 27 percent for those who had the surgery after delivery
Rates of cesarean delivery were 28 percent for those who had the surgery before pregnancy
Rates of cesarean delivery were 43 percent for those who had the surgery after delivery

Most of the women who underwent weight loss surgery did not wait the recommended two years afterwards before delivering a baby, noted senior author Dr. Martin Makary, an associate professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and his colleagues.

Tags: Bariatric Surgery, gastric bypass, lap band, weight loss
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