Diabetes cure linked to lap band surgery

Columbia, MO

A year and a half ago, John Dorsey was suffering from obesity and Type 2 diabetes. He was taking 50 units of insulin, two oral antibiotics and another prescription drug every day to keep his blood sugar under control.

He also weighed 406 pounds.

"If I hadn’t done something, I probably would have died," said Dorsey, 49, who works as a nurse in Cooper County.

So Dorsey had a medical procedure called Lap-Band surgery, where doctors insert a patented device to narrow the top of the stomach and forcibly reduce food intake. Within a month, Dorsey was no longer taking insulin, and within two months he was off all diabetes medication.

"I consider it a huge benefit," Dorsey said. "Losing weight helped me get rid of diabetes. I know it’s not going to work exactly the same for everybody. But for me, my blood sugar and high blood pressure were both related to my weight, so when I lost weight they fell back in line."

These days he says he’s 140 pounds lighter and his diabetes has vanished.

During each bariatric surgery, doctors insert a silicone band known as a Lap-Band to constrict the top of the patient’s stomach. After surgery, patients who previously ate large amounts report being full after meals of about 6 ounces. The size of the band can be increased or decreased as needed after surgery, and patients report being able to return to work in as little as two days.

The surgery is similar in its results to gastric bypass (sometimes known as stomach stapling), but proponents of the 45-minute Lap-Band procedure say it is less risky than the two-hour bypass surgery, which requires surgeons to staple a portion of the stomach closed and attach it to the small intestine. More >>

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Study: Obesity surgery can cure diabetes

Chicago, IL

A new study gives the strongest evidence yet that obesity surgery can cure diabetes. Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers.

Most of the surgery patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs and achieve normal blood tests.

"It's the best therapy for diabetes that we have today, and it's very low risk," said the study's lead author, Dr. John Dixon of Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia.
The patients had stomach band surgery, a procedure more common in Australia than in the United States, where gastric bypass surgery, or stomach stapling, predominates.

Gastric bypass is even more effective against diabetes, achieving remission in a matter of days or a month, said Dr. David Cummings, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal but was not involved in the study.
"We have traditionally considered diabetes to be a chronic, progressive disease," said Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle. "But these operations really do represent a realistic hope for curing most patients."

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Gastric bypass surgery, last resort for morbidly obese

North Andover, MA

Although most people can lose weight the old-fashioned way through disciplined eating and regular exercise, bariatric (the treatment of obesity) surgery is an option for very overweight people who have tried everything else.

"You don't just jump into this," says Dr. Frederick Buckley Jr., F.A.C.S., who practices general, vascular and bariatric surgery in Salem. "We're the last stop, and this solution is intended to be forever."

Weight-loss surgery is not for the slightly overweight, nor is it a quick fix for people who haven't tried other methods first. To be eligible, patients must be at least 100 pounds overweight, undergo psychological and cardiac screening and commit to a new eating pattern for the rest of their lives. Insurance companies may also require them to undergo six months of physician-monitored weight loss (usually by a primary-care provider) during the year prior to surgery or their own six-month phone-monitored system, which Buckley believes is less effective than proceeding directly to what he considers "life-saving" surgery.

Most of Buckley's patients have tried other programs without success. "Our patients have lost and regained hundreds of pounds," he said. "It is not a pure willpower thing and it's not for lack of trying that they come here." More >>

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TRICARE now covers gastric lap-band surgery

Falls Church, VA

TRICARE beneficiaries whose weight poses a serious health risk now have a new surgical alternative available.

For those who medically qualify, TRICARE now covers laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, also commonly called Lap-Band surgery. Although the TRICARE policy change has only recently been made, coverage is retroactive to February 1, 2007.

"We at TRICARE are careful to only cover procedures that have been proven safe and effective, and are accepted by the medical community," said Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of the TRICARE Management Activity. "We've added this procedure because, for some beneficiaries, it may be the right course of action to preserve their health."

Granger adds that, like gastric bypass, gastric stapling or gastroplasty, Lap-Band surgery is only for those suffering morbid obesity. In medical terms, that means their body weight is 100 pounds over ideal weight for their height and bone structure, and their weight is associated with severe medical conditions known to have higher mortality rates. Body weight that is more than twice the ideal weight for the person's height and bone structure may also indicate morbid obesity.

In addition, TRICARE will cover the surgery if a patient has had an intestinal bypass or other surgery for obesity and, because of complications, requires a second surgery.

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Kansas considers insurance coverage for weight-loss surgery

Topeka, KS

Insurance spokesman: Paying for procedure would cost everyone

More than half of adult Kansans are overweight and almost a quarter are obese, which caused an estimated $657 million annually in medical expenses between 1998 and 2000.

On Thursday, a Senate committee heard from a Wichita man and a Topeka doctor who said the morbidly obese could be helped, and lives could be saved, if insurance companies paid for weight-loss surgery.

Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, a physician, said he called the meeting of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to "nudge" the conversation forward. But he said he doesn't favor legislation requiring such coverage.

And one Kansas insurance spokesman warned that covering such surgery could drive up costs for everyone.

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$2.9 million jury award for wrongful death following gastric bypass surgery

Philadelphia, PA

A Nov. 19 jury verdict finding the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania guilty of medical malpractice and responsible for damages totaling $1.74 million will come under question on Feb. 5.

Following the death of her husband in 2003, Donna Traina, represented by attorney Timothy Lawn, filed a lawsuit against HUP, Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown and several doctors and medical personnel from both hospitals.

The jury awarded her $2.9 million for wrongful death, pain and suffering, and lost wages. HUP was found 60-percent negligent and liable for $1.74 million of the damages. The cases against the medical personnel were dropped before trial and all the doctors were found not negligent.

Both hospitals have since filed motions for post-trial relief, similar to an appeal, in order to argue to overturn the verdict. A hearing has been set for Feb. 5.

At the hearing, HUP attorney James Young will present an oral argument before the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

"The treatment Traina received was entirely appropriate. There are sound legal reasons to undo the mistake made by the jury," Young said.

Traina's husband, Joseph Traina, 30, died Feb. 3, 2003 of a cardiac arrest due to a pulmonary embolism following treatment at HUP and Mercy Suburban. Traina had undergone gastric bypass surgery at HUP 13 days earlier and sought treatment for pain in his legs during the days following the surgery. More >>

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Mercy Medical in Rockville Center leads StomaphyX bariatric surgery project

Rockville Center, NY

Dr. Shawn Garber, chief of bariatric surgery at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, and a hospital team have been training surgeons from across the country in a noninvasive procedure that reduces stomach size in patients who have had previous weight-loss surgery.

Mercy is one of just three hospitals nationwide -- the others are in Ohio and Florida -- selected by EndoGastric Solutions of Redmond, Wash., to train surgeons how to use its StomaphyX device to perform stomach surgery without making an incision. In addition to Garber, Dr. Spencer Holover also performs the StomaphyX procedure.

The device is inserted into the mouth and through the esophagus to the stomach, where it can tighten existing pouches formed by previous gastric bypass surgery. During bypass, surgeons make a pouch out of a small portion of the stomach, and food is directed to it. The pouch's small size makes patients feel full sooner, helping them to eat less and lose weight. More >>

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Sleeve gastrectomy: New bariatric procedure turns stomach into small pool

Indianapolis, IN

Question: Describe the sleeve gastroectomy, a new bariatrics surgery option.

Answer: This is just another version of what's already out there. You can break down weight-loss surgical procedures into two categories: One is called restrictive and restricts how much you can take in, such as the lap-band; the other one is called malabsorption and bypasses portions of the intestine or stomach to keep food from getting absorbed as calories.

This is a new restrictive technique. Basically, it's taking off a large portion of the stomach and making the stomach into a small, narrow tube instead of a boot-shaped pouch. We're basically making your stomach into a very small reservoir. More >>

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Webcast: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy to be broadcast at OR-Live.com

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

ORLive.com will broadcast two (2) bariatric procedures: a laparoscopic gastric bypass performed at Flagler Hospital, in St. Augustine, Florida and a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy performed at Holy Cross Hospital, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Both procedures were recorded live-to-tape and are presented unedited during this combined broadcast.

The gastric bypass procedure will be performed by Robert Marema, MD, FACS, Medical Director of Bariatric Services, Flagler Hospital and CEO of U.S. Bariatric. Michael Perez, MD, FACS, Medical Director Bariatric Surgery, Holy Cross Hospital will perform the gastric sleeve procedure. More >>

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Gastric bypass surgery Part I: A big risk

Orlando, FL

Monica Ramos lost about 200 pounds the hard way. In 2004, a doctor stapled her stomach and rerouted her intestines.

She underwent gastric bypass surgery. A year later, Ramos collapsed in her home and was rushed to the hospital, where she needed another operation to stop internal bleeding.

Her weight-loss surgery represents the gamble that legions of morbidly obese Americans are taking every year. For many, it 's worth the risk. More >>

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New bariatric device: Endobarrie gastric sleeve

Seattle, WA

Imagine reaping the benefits of gastric bypass without the risks of surgery. Early results from the study of a new device are finding just that potential.

Weighing in isn't such a bad thing anymore for Barbara McMackin ever since she became the first person in the United States to get an experimental device called Endobarrier.

"Endobarrier is a sleeve that is placed without surgery into the patient's small intestine to help them achieve weight loss," said Dr. Keith Gersin, Chief of Bariatric Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center.

The gastric sleeve, or Endobarrier, is placed endoscopically through the mouth and lines the first two feet of the small intestine where it prevents food from being absorbed.

Early results from the study show patients who got the device lost more weight. More >>

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Gastric bypass surgery, from 444 lbs. to marathon

Clarion, MS

Sheila McNair's journey began in 2003: the moment she looked at a family reunion photograph of her and her grandson.

"When I looked at that picture, I told myself 'I can't go on like this,' " said McNair, who had battled obesity since she was 12. "I had to do something. Obesity runs in both sides of my family and my mom died in 2001 due to diabetes. I didn't want to go that route. I was overweight to the point where basically all I could do was go to work and come home."

So McNair underwent gastric bypass surgery on May 3 of 2004. She weighed 444 pounds that day. Three years and 265 pounds later, she completed her first marathon.

It came just a year after she began in Marathon Makeovers, a support group that prepares runners for the 26.2-mile race. McNair finished the race. Her official time was 7 hours, 24 minutes and 43 seconds.


"If there is one word to describe her it is 'determined,' " said Simpson, director of Marathon Makeover. "She came in last January just able to walk a mile. But those race officials that wanted her to step off the course were not going to stop her." More >>

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Despite risks, gastric-bypass surgeries soar

Herald, FL

Monica Ramos lost about 200 pounds the hard way.

In 2004, a doctor stapled her stomach and rerouted her intestines.

A year later, Ramos collapsed in her home and was rushed to the hospital, where she needed another operation to stop internal bleeding.

Her weight-loss surgery represents the gamble that legions of morbidly obese Americans are taking every year. For many, it is worth the risk.

When Ramos had her initial operation, she was on 17 medications for diabetes and other ailments. Today, she needs no prescriptions. Her diabetes is gone; she feels great.

But the soft-spoken nursing student warns that surgery is not a cure for obesity.

"This is a lifelong commitment, and there are going to be days when you're sorry you've made this commitment," said Ramos, 26, who runs a support group in Orlando for weight-loss-surgery patients.

If current trends continue, she will be busy.

Weight-loss surgery -- commonly referred to as bariatric surgery -- has exploded in the United States from an estimated 16,200 procedures in 1992 to about 205,000 in 2007. More >>

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Laparoscopic gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy to be broadcast at OR-Live.com

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

On January 15, 2008, at 6 pm, www.ORLive.com will broadcast two (2) bariatric procedures; a laparoscopic gastric bypass and a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, both performed in Ft Lauderdale, FL and recorded ive to tape. The gastric bypass procedure will be performed by Robert Marema, MD, FACS. More >>

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Montana Health Watch | gastric bypass surgery

Billings, MT

In the last few years, more than two hundred severely overweight Montanans have undergone gastric bypass surgery at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings.

The surgery changes lives but it's not as easy as it looks.

Julie Lovell introduces us to two sisters from Miles City; who found it takes perseverance, family support and a sense of humor to succeed after gastric bypass surgery.

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Gastric bypass surgery, not the easy way out

Kalamazoo, MI

Hospitals in Michigan help patients understand gastric bypass surgery and its aftermath.

The latest developments in weight-loss surgery for the morbidly obese have come not in the operating room but in the classroom. Hospitals that do bariatric surgery, including gastric bypass and gastric banding, have in recent years created programs that emphasize pre-surgery education and counseling for potential patients.

The classes and psychological services can help patients can more fully understand the surgery, evaluate whether it is appropriate for them and comprehend the changes in eating habits and exercise they will have to make if they do undergo it.

Both the Bariatrics at Borgess program at Borgess Medical Center and the Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Program at Bronson Methodist Hospital provide patients with these broad-ranging services.

``I think there is a misconception that if you're considering bariatric surgery, you're taking the easy way out,'' said Dr. Stuart Verseman, medical director of Bariatrics at Borgess. ``You're not. You're taking the long way out. Patients really have to change the way they eat and live. The surgery is just a tool to help them.'' More >>

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Carnie Wilson on gastric bypass surgery & pregnancy

Carnie Wilson on what should come first, Gastric bypass surgery or pregnancy.

A lot of people struggle with weight, and Carnie Wilson is no stranger to that battle. She was very public about her decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery years ago. After a successful surgery and great results, she found herself pregnant and gaining weight again. Is it wise to undergo gastric bypass before having children? Carnie speaks out. More >>

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