Weight-loss surgeries are in general very efficient. Unfortunately, those who expect fast effects, will be disappointed. Patients, who decide to go through gastric bypass or other type of weight-loss procedure, have to be aware that this is a serious decision and, if they want to succeed, they have to change their life-style for good.

Weight-loss surgery is growing in popularity. A recent British Medical Journal report found the number of people in England undergoing the surgery on the NHS had increased from 238 a year to more than 2,543 in 2007.

The situation in many countries shows the growing need for the said procedures. In Scotland, for example, about 40% of the population who have a BMI over 35 are both eligible and want to undergo the surgery (that’s around 24,000 people). Only 300 procedures a year are available and only half of them are available on the NHS.

The Severe and Complicated Obesity Treatment Service (SCOTS) is the group who analysed this problem. It was led by Duff Bruce, a bariatric surgeon who is of the opinion that bariatric surgery is the only effective long-term treatment that cures both obesity and related diseases.

All weight-loss surgeons agree that patients have to change their life-style completely, after the procedure. They have to get used to a different way of eating. Firstly, only fluids can be consumed, then soft foods, then the foods they’ll eat for life. But those differ from what they used to eat. The food has to be low in sugar and fat but high in proteins. Patients can only consume between 600 and 1.000 calories a day, but make sure they have 70g of proteins. In this way their meals are really nutritious.

Patients who underwent the surgery confirm that changing the way of eating is not easy. Most of them say they thought the weight-loss procedure is the most difficult part. But it’s not. It’s only the tool, the beginning of a new, healthy way.

The after-surgery support plays an important part for each patient. There always will be days when they’ll need some advice, help, someone to assure them it’s normal what they’re going through. With the internet it’s become so much easier. Patients can join an online support group or search for nutritious recipes. Getting back to the old habits is very easy. It’s very important to have someone to turn to in a worse moment, someone who’ll help you to follow your new life.

People with HIV can undergo a weight-loss surgery, such as gastric bypass or gastric banding, the latest study shows.

Bariatric surgery can be usually performed with patients with BMI (Body Mass Index) of 35 or more. The procedure consists of reducing the size of the stomach so that the patient can only consume small amounts of food.

Both, people with and without HIV, suffer from obesity. Both groups experience similar obesity-related health problems, such as sleep apnea, high cholesterol level and diabetes.

For patients with HIV, some antiretroviral medications may cause or worsen these problems. As a result, these patients may be at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related issues.

Weight-loss surgery might be an option for HIV-positive patients if other weight-loss methods are not effective.

Doctors from Indiana University School of Medicine did a research to see if the weight-loss surgery is both safe as well as effective for the patients with HIV.

The results of the study showed dramatic improvements in the weight loss, the level of cholesterol, triglyceride and blood pressure.

What’s more, after the surgery some patients were able to reduce their doses of medications for obesity-related conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

There were, however, some complications after the operation. Some patients had a hernia (an organ pushing through a weak part of the abdominal wall) and needed follow-up surgery. Other had to have a second surgery for abnormal narrowing of the digestive tract. Still some patients developed vitamin deficiencies, which is a common problem in people who undergo bariatric surgery.

The researchers also examined whether bariatric surgery would affect how much of the antiretroviral drugs were absorbed by the stomach after surgery.

The conclusion was that the surgery did not make any changes to antiretroviral regimens or dosing.

The researchers concluded that bariatric surgery may be an effective and reasonable treatment for obesity in patients with HIV but they also highlighted that more studies need to be carried out in order to determine the complications from the procedure.

Surgical Innovations, the Keyhole surgery specialists, invite for more weight-loss surgeries.

Nick Finer, professor of obesity medicine at University College of London, reckons that this is much more effective way to lose weight than dieting. Another argument is that if the NHS funded more procedures, it would save money in the long term.

Specialists highlight that obesity is both physical as well as mental condition, and they both need help.

In the US about 60 million people are affected by obesity. Only 250 thousand weight-loss surgeries take place every year. Obesity is believed to be one of the main causes of premature death.

Last year in the UK, LogiFlex was introduced. LogiFlex uses pioneering technology to help surgeons fit gastric bands or undertake bypass surgery.

Surgical has just revealed the 256% increase in pre-tax profits for the last six months. The reason of the increase was said to be the use of the “Resposable instruments, which combine disposable and reusable instruments”.

Weight-loss surgery still causes controversy in same cases but, as studies show, has got enormous benefits.

Sky News, 8th September 2010

A big part of the society nowadays is overweight or obese. A weight-loss surgery not only can help them to lose weight, cure their health problems and improve their life-style but can also help the economy.

The economic analysis show that the cost of the surgery pays for itself in just one year.

The royal College of Surgeons admitted that if obese patients underwent the weight-loss surgery, they could then get back to work instead of being on benefits. That could lower the cost of the surgery by £8.000.

Marcus Reddy from the St George’s Hospital said: “It has been a falsely held belief that bariatric surgery is expensive. It’s not. It’s very cheap. It’s something that will help all of us in the economy.”

Analysis shows that if only a quarter of obese patients had the size of their stomachs reduced, it would cost the NHS £546m.

On the other hand, though, over the next three years the NHS would save £104m as their health improved and the benefits bill would fall by up to £450m.

At the moment, there are so many obese patients that are housebound. If they had surgery, they could get back to work and help the economy to get a boost of £1.8bn.

Doctors admit that the weight-loss surgery might be seen as expensive in the first place. But we have to remember that after the surgery the diabetes is usually cured, which means they don’t need the medication and are no longer hospitalised.

Private Healthcare UK, 1.09.2010

Weight-loss surgery doctors raise the problem many patients that are eligible for the procedure, are missing it out.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) stated that weight-loss operations rose from 238 in 2000 to 2,543 in 2007. 6,953 operations took place between April 2000 and March 2008. Doctors suggest that only 1 in 200 patients eligible for such procedure is actually offered one.

Doctors are also against the way the surgery is currently allocated. The main factor that makes a patient eligible for a weight-loss surgery is based on their BMI (Body Mass Index).

Dr David Ashton, medical director of Healthier Weight, said: “BMI was developed in the 19th century and is much too crude an instrument to be used as the basis for decisions regarding potentially life-saving surgery in the 21st century. BMI discriminates on the basis of age, gender and – especially ethnicity. The latter is of great importance because certain ethnic groups have a greater risk at lower BMI’s than Caucasian populationsâ€�

With the growing obesity problem in the society nowadays, the weight-loss surgery becomes more and more popular. Patients are aware they have got a choice and a powerful tool in their weight-loss battle. They need to be treated fair while deciding if they can undergo the procedure. In order to be able to do that, procedures of allocation of the weight-loss surgery need changing.