The top six risk factors for weight-loss surgery
June 15, 2011
IN THE NEWS: The Los Angeles Times reports that weight-loss surgery is safe and effective for most people, but complications do occur, according to a study presented by Dr. Ninh T. Nguyen at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. The presentation cited the top six risk factors leading to complications: the type of operation (gastric bypass or gastric band), surgical technique (open or minimally invasive surgery), patient gender, type of insurance, age, and presence of type 2 diabetes.
“Bariatric surgery is safer than it has ever been, but there may be more we can do to make it even safer and improve the odds of survival for high-risk patients,” said Nguyen, the lead author of the study and chief of gastrointestinal surgery at UC Irvine. “Doctors can use these risk factors to help in preoperative planning and to help patients better understand his or her individual risk.”
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