I am in the decision/research stage and ran across this article.

To say that I am disheartened would put it mildly...

Junkfood Science: <i>Junkfood Science Weekend Special</i>: Bariatric surgery - the most life-altering decision you’ll ever make

I had not seen it... but this is just one woman's blog and opinion. There's a lot published out there in peer-reviewed journals that contradicts what she's saying. I also really recommend reading the book "Rethinking Thin." It was just released a few months ago and is written by the NY Times Science/Health writer. Goes through all of the obesity research.

Bariatric surgery is the only chance a MO person has of maintaining any weight loss for any period of time. Most surgeries will give a MO person the chance of maintaining at least a 50% EWL for five years. Nothing else comes close.

Studies Bring New Hope for Obese | TIME

"However, a small preliminary study presented at the conference could change some of this thinking. Researchers found that the average cost of bariatric surgery is often completely recouped by the patient after three years, after which time the medical expenses of patients who did not have surgery are twice as high. "Patients who come in for surgery have a lot of medical problems," says Dr. Anita Courcoulas, lead author of the study. "It makes sense that it would end up costing less." A larger study still needs to be done, but this new research shows that surgery may actually be the cheaper option in the long term."

Thanks for posting that. I have not been banded yet. I believe it is good to go into this with all the facts. I know there are plenty of people out there that don't keep their weight off after surgery, I know several, I also know that they did not change their lifestlye or eating habits. After they lost their weight they went right back to overeating and not exerising. My MIL had her stomach stapled about 25 years ago. She had alot of complations after surgery. Mostly due to lack of knowledge. Surgery made her lactose intolerant and all she was eating was dairy products for weeks after surgery. She has lost over 100 lbs and kept it off for 25 years now. If you were to ask her if she would do it again she would tell you yes! It changed her life. There are risks to any surgery, but life is full of risk. You just have to decide how much risk you are willing to take and then learn to manage it. As for me, I want to have this surgery, I want to get back my health that is failing now due to being overweight. It seems to me the risk of not having it out weighs the risk of continuing to be obese. I hope you find what works for you. Renee

Every surgery comes with risks. I believe that gastric bypass comes with more risks and complications, but it might be that to me its just risks and complications I would find more unpleasant personally for various reasons. Read the studies for yourselves. Read critques of studies. Read accounts of people who aren't happy as well as those who are.

One question to ask yourself though is will you gain weight without this? Can you loose weight without this? What will happen to your health without this? Would you regret having it if you did have some complications? Would you regret not having it if you developed comorbidities. Do research and choose wisely.

I did have a complication, I lost my gallbladder from rapid initial weightloss. But I regret nothing. My health is improving.

The woman who wrote that article is a food EDITOR, not a medical researcher. Yes, she is also a registered nurse and writes a lot of articles about nutrition and health, but the bottom line is that she is writing from a biased point of view, and particularly one that has never been face to face with the need to lose 100 lbs or more.

Take everything with a grain of salt -- that includes opinions in favor of bariatric surgery. At the end of the day, you need to do what is best for you. But don't let one article dissuade you when there is plenty of proof, both on this forum and elsewhere, that the LapBand can have an incredible impact on your life.

(not ONE PERSON has died from Lapband surgery. not ONE)

That's not true. Sorry. I know of at least one who died quite a few years back. She was a city council woman from Detroit and had surgery in Port Huron, Michigan. I remember the case specifically, because she was the first US death I remember. Detroit City Council member dies after undergoing surgery - News

I would be very shocked to learn she was the only one.

(Here's another Death Favorable early results of gastric banding for mor...[surg Endosc. 2004] - PubMed Result

10 deaths (but a 0.53% risk) Lap Band adjustable gastric banding system: the It...[surg Endosc. 2003] - PubMed Result

Another death

Long-term results of laparoscopic adjustable gastr...[Obes Surg. 2002] - PubMed Result

etc.)

Your'e talking about surgery on morbidly obese people. The risk of death, pulmonary embolism, etc. can't be ignored. Does the Lap-Band have a great safety record?? Yes. But ALL surgery carries risks.

i agree dont let one article sway you in one direction... like my surgeon told me, the lap-band is a tool to help you... LEveryone knows there is no miracle cure to be "poof" skinny =) but this is pretty damn close in my opinion... and im only 3mths post op

Hmm, a little biased!

Also, she's dead wrong on many levels. As already pointed out above, the lap band is reversible and removable. But also, there's considerable evidence to suggest that long term calorie restriction actually lengthens the lifespan.

As to whether or not people remain obese (just less so), regain some weight or experience comorbidities such as high blood pressure or cholesterol, well, that's down to individuals. Its still down to our individual behaviour and I dont believe I've ever seen any claims or been under any illusions that its not still up to me to behave in such a way that I make this successful for me.

Unfortunately obesity is about more than just how much someone can fit in their stomach at any one time and there will always be people who just cannot be helped by bariatric surgery.

One scary aspect of the internet is that anyone can present themselves as an 'expert' on any topic. If you're looking for medical advice, I strongly recommend talking to a board-certified surgeon or checking out the websites of organizations like NIH, AMA, JAMA, etc.

Its like those TV commercials where a woman says "Hi, I'm Dr. Jane O'Connor, and I heartily endorse this fantastic weight loss product."

What is she a doctor of? Is it a paid endorsement? Did she participate in an approved research study?

We have no reason to give her credence at all, yet there lots of folks that would buy the product because a 'doctor' endorsed it.

I think a lot of this just confirms what we need to DRILL into our heads. We have been given a TOOL, not a panacea. A tool by itself just lays there like a lump. It takes a person to pick it up and USE it for it to be successful as a tool. This tool comes with great responsibility for us to step up to the plate (no pun intended) and rise to the occasion and USE that tool in the manner it was designed for. Only then will you see the results you wish to accomplish. If you see the band only as a miracle and sit back waiting for the miracle weightloss to just happen, you will be sorely disappointed.

before you claim something is wrong and site sources...please use sources that verify what you claim.

This is my original point with the first article that got everyone so worked up.

All of the links work, Lizrbit... not sure what the problem is for you... but perhaps that's why you can't find any thing that says that. Even Allergan will tell you about Band deaths. They're included in their FDA PMA, btw. There were not in the immediate US FDA clinical trials.. but deaths had occured prior to that in Europe and Australia, and deaths continue to occur in the U.S. Probably the risk is less than 1%, but it still exists.

The links all work for me. Not sure why they're not working for you. Heck, you can even go to the FDA and look at the PMA for the Lap-Band and see the deaths mentioned.

The first link is from Sept 5, 2002:

"City Councilwoman Brenda Scott died from a severe infection in her stomach, three days after having stomach-reduction surgery, an autopsy report indicated. The medical examiner classified Scott's death Monday as accidental, caused by a condition called peritonitis, administrator Steve Brown told The Detroit News. Peritonitis is an infection of the abdominal lining, often caused by surgical mishap. Last Friday, the 47-year-old Scott underwent the LAP-BAND System procedure to restrict the size of her stomach at Port Huron Hospital. She left the hospital Saturday morning. By Sunday night, she complained of abdominal pain and was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital. She died Monday morning."

You can Google "Brenda Scott" and Lap-Band and it should come up.

The other links come from PubMed which has all of the Peer-Reviewed Medical Sources. Can't find a more unbiased source that that... BTW. You can go there yourself, and search on Lap-Band (or preferably Adjustable Gastric Banding" and mortality (death) and the articles will come up. Deaths DO occur with the Lap-Band. Not sure if it's just that you're not used to searching medical journals, or just want to believe it to be true. Risk is lower than with other obesity surgery, but they exist. No reputable surgeon would ever tell you that a Lap-Band death has not occured... nor would Allergan. Really not sure where you've got your info from.

PubMed Home

Fabfatgrl - I was able to click your links and review. The thing I read into the story is CHOOSE YOUR DOCTOR CAREFULLY. This poor woman's surgery was malpractice it sounds like. That is awful!

Surgery is a risk, no matter what type of surgery. People have died getting their wisdom teeth out, so everyone must do their research on their doctors very carefully and make an informed decision about WLS. It is life altering, I agree with the first article, but I don't agree with a lot of her statments. I personally have seen major changes in my health, and many are off meds soon, my insurance does approve WLS because it does see the affects and the health benefits of losing weight.

Everyone should do thorough research on the surgery before doing it. It is a tool and not a cure, so you have to be willing to go the distance - before you do the surgery, ask yourself if your willing to go the distance, if your not, don't do it, you will be disappointed with the results. If you are and you see it as your last resort, Go for it! It was the best decision I could have made! I knew there were risk and still are (band erosion, slippage etc.) but I see this as my last resort.

There have been more than one death, sorry to say. There is definitely a learning curve, however... so death is more likely in a surgeon's first 50-100 operations than after. A surgeon's ethics... and pre-op criteria also play a role. Some will ignore red flags, just to do the surgery. So, that increases operative risk.

Once again, I remember when this death occurred, as I had been Banded about a year. The surgeon was not one I knew of from the FDA trials... or who was mentioned very frequently... so I'm assuming he could have been a newbie. BUT, the risk of one of the lap instruments nicking the stomach exists with any surgeon... which can lead to peritonitis and death.

I definitely agree with researching your surgeon thoroughly. There's a reason I went out of the country in 2001 to Mexico to a surgeon who had done 3000 Bands already in 2001, when the FDA trial docs (the most experienced at the time) had done 30-50 MAX.

Here's one that shows 10 deaths... just as a NB: pulmonary embolism is a risk in any surgery. Whenever you're operating on MO people, you're going to find a higher risk of PE and MI (heart attack).

Surg Endosc. 2003 Mar;17(3):409-12. Epub 2002 Dec 4.Click here to read Links

Lap Band adjustable gastric banding system: the Italian experience with 1863 patients operated on 6 years.

Angrisani L, Furbetta F, Doldi SB, Basso N, Lucchese M, Giacomelli F, Zappa M, Di Cosmo L, Veneziani A, Turicchia GU, Alkilani M, Forestieri P, Lesti G, Puglisi F, Toppino M, Campanile F, Capizzi FD, D'Atri C, Sciptoni L, Giardiello C, Di Lorenzo N, Lacitignola S, Belvederesi N, Marzano B, Bernate P, Iuppa A, Borrelli V, Lorenzo M.

The Collaborative Study Group for the Lap Band System and BIB-GILB, c/o Fondazione Institute for Spreading and Valorisation of Scientific Culture (IDIS), via Coroglio 156, 80124 Naples, Italy. gilb@wol.it

BACKGROUND: The Lap Band system procedure is currently the most common bariatric surgical procedure worldwide. This is an interim report of the experience of the 27 Italian centers participating in the national collaborative study group for Lap Band (GILB). METHODS: An electronic database was specifically created. It was mailed and e-mailed to all of the surgeons now performing the laparoscopic gastric banding operation in Italy. RESULTS: Beginning in January 1996, 1893 patients were recruited for the study. There were 1534 women and 359 men with a mean body mass index (BMI) of (range 30.4-83.6) and a mean age of 37.8 +/- 10.9 years (range; 17-74). The mortality rate has been 0.53% (n = 10), mainly due to cardiovascular complications (myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism). The laparotomic conversion rate has been 3.1% (59/1893) and was higher in superobese patients (BMI>50) than in to morbidly obese patients (BMI <50) (p <0.05). Postoperative complications occurred in 193 patients (10.2%), including tube port failure (n = 79; 40.9%), gastric pouch dilation (GPD) (n = 93; 48.9%), and gastric erosion (n = 21, 10.8%). Most GPD (65.5%) occurred during the first 50 patients treated at each center. The incidence of GPD decreased as the surgeons acquired more experience. Surgery for complications was often performed by laparoscopic access, rarely via laparotomy. No death was recorded as a consequence of surgery to treat complications. Weight loss has been evaluated at the following intervals: 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 months, with BMI 37.9, 33.7, 34.8, 34.1, 32.7, 34.8, and 32. CONCLUSIONS: The Lap Band system procedure has a very low mortality rate and a low morbidity rate and it yields satisfactory weight loss. Surgery for complications can be performed safely via laparoscopic access.

PMID: 12457216 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I think the confusion comes from the Lap-Band brochure that Allergan is still using that goes back to the original US FDA trials (1999-2000)... and they say there were no deaths resulting from the trials. They're not saying that there have never been deaths, but in the initial approval process for the Band there were no deaths reported. It's not the same as saying that there were no deaths. I'm sure if you email Don Mills at Allergan (if he's still there), he can give you some better stats.

The Lap-Band does have the best safety record out there among WLS. We're at an advantage in that the surgeons are not cutting our stomachs, nor intestines... which just increases the operative risk. BUT, any surgery... no matter how simple seeming... carries the risk of death. The latest figures I could find on Lap-Band mortality rates showed a rate of 0.2%... which is fabulous as long as you're not one of those that die.

There is always risk in surgery. I know a guy who went in for a hip replacement and was ready to go home and died of a blood clot. Things happen. However more patients die from gastric bipass than lapband. The risks and complications are few. Everyone is entitiled to thier opinion and each one of us have to make our own dicisions. It is up to each of us to do our homework and feel comfortable with what we decide.

seriously? i didnt have access to medical journals when i looked into this surgery for myself.

Im thinking about going back through and editing my posts where ive said that there have been none so people dont believe that.

i did say from the beginning that "to the best of my research"...

im glad the stats are in this thread..they should probably be posted in a new thread of their own too, MAINLY so that people who are thinking of getting this surgery have access to this information.

Fab, would you consider starting a new thread with this information so that people can easily find it?

Like i said, i looked everywhere i knew how to look, and could find nothing. this would have played a factor in my decision making and im sure could help someone else.

Plus it seems to me that the very first day that I found lapbandtalk there was a post from a gentleman whose daughter had died a few days post surgery. He laid the blame not on lapbands but on the inattentiveness of the surgeon. I wish I could remember what the thread was so that I could find it again...