Archive for September, 2010

What If my Bariatric Procedure Fails?

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

What If my Bariatric Procedure Fails?

Patients can have minor or large complications after a Lap Band, Gastric sleeve or Gastric Bypass procedure.  Many patients may need another surgery to correct the complications, which can cost them more money. However,  medical complications are not always a result of a bariatric procedure failure.  A Weight Loss Procedure is classified as a failure if the procedure is no longer working.

When a Bariatric Procedure Fails for a patient, there are several different consequences to be considered.  They include the emotional, economical, and physical impacts of the failure.  

What are the emotional consequences of Procedure Failure?

Depending on the type of procedure (Lap Band, Gastric Sleeve or Gastric Bypass), the patient may regain all the weight back again. This can be emotionally devastating because it gives the patient the feeling that he or she has thrown away money for nothing.  They feel anger towards the doctor and themselves, and during this whole process, their health and life could be at risk due to the complications. It is important for patients to know they are not alone. It is also important that they take positive action to address the situation, since this increases the probability of succeeding in the future. 

 What happens after a Procedure Failure?

We can say a Bariatric Procedure is no longer working when the patient has regained all the weight originally lost. This means that the patient needs a new procedure called Revision Surgery. The need for a revision surgery after a procedure has failed may jeopardize the health or life of the patient, as the complication rate increases from 2% to 25%. In addition, it will cost additional money for the revision surgery.

The chances for success for a second, different, Bariatric Surgery are lower then the first time, and the morbidity increases up to 25% depending on the revision procedure to be done. This is in part because the doctor has to be able to finish a new Weight Loss Procedure over the scar tissue and be able to repair what went wrong in the first place. The decision as to which will be the chosen bariatric surgery for the second time will depend on the type of surgery first performed.

How can a patient succeed after Revision surgery?

The patient must be careful to avoid any mistakes made before that may have influenced the development of complications.  It is very important that you ask your doctor and yourself questions like:

  • Why didn’t the first procedure work for me?
  • Which procedure works for me best after failing the first time?
  • Am I going to be able to follow the rules for success with the procedure I am choosing?
  • How much help will I get from the doctor and his staff after revision surgery?
  • Am I looking only for the best price I can get, or for the procedure that can work best for me?

You have to analyze both the pros and cons for any procedure that you are considering, especially when considering a second procedure or revision surgery. You have more chances to succeed if you keep in mind what went wrong the first time, in order to develop a plan for success in the future.

 

Arturo Rodríguez, MD

http://www.thebariatric.com/

http://www.bandstersforum.com/

Originally posted 2008-07-27 21:53:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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DIET BEFORE LAPBAND

Monday, September 20th, 2010

DIET BEFORE LAPBAND

Why a low Carbs Pre Lap-band Diet is Helpful?

I am used to performing surgery on patients that have not done any pre-operatory diet mainly because many of them can’t follow any kind of diet and by asking for one just increases their stress before surgery.

Long term carbohydrates and fat diets will turn to storage and infiltration of fat into the hepatic cells. Under this condition, the liver total mass will be progressively enlarged to what’s called pre-cirrhotic stage. By this, fat infiltration of the liver and on patients, the liver will remain enlarged during the lapband Surgery, the Gastric sleeve or the Gastric bypass and the working surgical area turns into a tiny space, reduced for errors in placing the instruments in the right position.

Because there is less room to work with also makes it very difficult to see and recognize the structures, to have enough space to do the right sutures and perform a safely procedure unless the surgeon has enough experience to handle these kinds of situations and has the right bariatric instruments to work with.

We don’t know for sure how much the total liver mass will be reduced by one or two weeks with pre op-diet. My personal belief is that will not shrink too much to make a difference and that the surgeon should be able to adapt to all situations.

 

Arturo Rodriguez, MD
http://www.thebariatric.com
http://arturorodriguezmd.com
phone: 011 52 818 3783177

Originally posted 2009-07-20 10:09:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Is the Lap Band Procedure for Anyone?

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Is the Lap Band Procedure for Anyone?

Almost 95% of individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are unable to lose weight using only diet, exercise or drugs. Actually, all individuals with a BMI lower then 35 are not accepted into any Bariatric Program and those with BMI between 35 to 40 are only accepted if they have co-morbidities such as Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Sleep Apnea, Asthma, etc.

The question is if we want the patients to wait 5 to 10 years until they have gained such a weight and also to wait for high risk co-morbidities to show up in order to accept them for a Lap Band, which is a surgical procedure that takes 30 minutes and has proven to be the safest surgical technique to treat obesity and overweight.

I strongly believe that Lap Band Surgery is a good option for those individuals considering losing weight on a long-term basis, to improve their overall health and well-being.  Gastric Banding or a Lap band can be used to safely treat morbid obesity, and can also be a preventative measure for morbid obesity by individuals with a family history of Obesity, Diabetes, High Cholesterol, or other co-morbidities.

 

Arturo Rodriguez ,MD

Bariatric Surgeon

http://www.thebariatric.com

Originally posted 2008-04-23 18:43:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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What is the Best Surgical Weight Loss Procedure for Me?

Monday, September 6th, 2010

What is the Best Surgical Weight Loss Procedure for Me?

I hear this question all the time and there is no single answer for every person. You have to find your own answer by asking some questions like:

Is the cost of the procedure an issue that will influence my decision on which procedure to have?
Am I looking for a simple or complex bariatric procedure?
Am I looking for the safest procedure?
Am I going to be able to follow the rules for success with the procedure I am choosing?
How much help will I get from the doctor and his staff after any of the Weight Loss Procedures?
Which of the Weight Loss Procedure fits my life style better? 

You have to be well informed about all the surgical Weight Loss Options in order to have the answers, but it is also very important for you to know about the doctors that perform the surgies (the Lap Band, Gastric Sleeve or Gastric Bypass), their bariatric experience, their surgical staff, the experience they have in revision surgeries, the ethics and professionalism of the promoters and the Weight Loss follow up and support  that they will provide for you after your surgery.

Helpful Facts About Weight Loss Surgery

  • There is no ideal Weight Loss Procedure that works for every person.  Everyday we do more revision surgeries because of Lap Band, Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass failures.
  • Gastric Sleeve is the Weight Loss Procedure that results in the best response for patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Hyper-Cholesterol (the Metabolic Effect).
  • The Lap band is the simpler and cheapest among the Weight Loss Procedures.
  • It is not true that if you are very heavy you will need to have the most drastic procedure.
  • Young or elderly patients can have the Lap Band, the Gastric Sleeve or the Gastric Bypass.
  • The doctor’s experience influences the outcome of the Weight Loss Procedures.
  • The patient´s eating behavior can modify the outcome of any of the Weight Loss Procedures.
  • The open message boards have very many doctors’ coordinators trying to send patients their way and might confused patient’s right decisions.}
  •  The procedure with lowest surgical risk is the Lap Band.
  • The procedure with the most surgical risk is the Duodenal Switch, followed by the Gastric Bypass.
  • The average hospital stay following the Lap Band procedure is one night.
  • The average hospital stay following the Gastric Sleeve procedure is two nights.
  • The average hospital stay following the Gastric Bypass procedure is three nights.
  • The Lap band needs to be “filled” periodically in order to provide optimum weight loss results.
  • A person with a Gastric Bypass will need nutritional supplements for life to avoid deficiencies.
  • You should avoid alcohol with any bariatric procedure, due to high risk of getting an ulcer.

 

Dr. Arturo Rodriguez
Bariatric Surgeon
http://www.thebariatric.com
http://www.bandstersforum.com

Originally posted 2008-06-26 00:34:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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