With her hair falling out, skin flaking, muscles wasted and frequent attacks of diarrhea and vomiting, Linda Culpepper was admitted to the hospital and immediately fed intravenously. Her diagnosis was a condition called life-threatening malnutrition, caused by complications from a past weight-loss surgery, which involved closing a majority of her stomach and shortening her small intestine.

The increasing numbers of obese people have driven up the rates for weight-loss surgeries.

Soaring Weight-Loss Operation Statistics:

• In the United States, 20,000 weight-loss operations were performed in 1995
• In 2003, 103,000 were performed
• This year, 144,00 are predicted to be performed

Researchers expressed their concerns over the operations being performed on children and teenagers and the increasing number of doctors encouraging their patients to pack on more pounds, so they could qualify for the surgery. Researchers also noted one of the biggest issues surrounded the number of doctors who were not properly trained and performing the surgeries.

Because of the high risks and increased costs, some insurers made the decision to stop covering the operations. The average cost of the surgery is $30,000, however that cost could rise if serious complications surfaced during the surgery.

Also, due to the drastic changes in the digestive system, most patients required heavy counseling on how to eat properly and which vitamins to take in order to avoid malnutrition or gaining the weight back.

Reported Risks of the Surgery:

• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Bowel obstructions
• Hernias
• Severe infections caused from leaks in the abdomen area where the stomach and small intestines had been cut open and sealed or reconnected

Research showed that almost 30 percent of the people who had undergone the surgery experienced nutritional deficiencies that led to health conditions such as anemia and bone loss.

Participants of a study included 66,000 obese people, 3,328 of that number had bariatric surgery during the years of 1987 to 2001. The study revealed that 30 days following the surgery, the death rate reached 1.9 percent.

It was also discovered that those who did survive the surgery lived longer than the severely obese people who did not have the surgery.

Experts stated that most people believed the gastric bypass surgery was the solution to their weight-loss problems, however doctors warned patients who did not practice self-control that they would gain back all the weight in the next 20 years.

SOURCE: New York Times May 4, 2004

Reference Source 116

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