article in Times Colonist

Here is an article in the Times Colonist Stomach surgery rises as obesity rates climb- Bariatric procedures jump at Royal Jubilee Hospital- Jim Gibson- Times Colonist-Monday, January 22, 2007- CREDIT: Canadian Press According to a Statistics Canada, obesity rates have almost doubled in the past 25 years. Bariatric surgery -- popularly-known as "stomach stapling" -- has jumped by 42 per cent in the past two years, according to Vancouver Island Health Authority statistics. The Royal Jubilee Hospital's Bradley Amson and associates are the only ones in the province performing gastric bypass surgery covered by the Medical Services Plan. In the year ending October 2006, Amson did 102 surgeries compared to 70 in 2004. Obesity rates, according to a Statistics Canada survey released more than a year ago, have almost doubled in 25 years. Obesity increases the risk for developing cardiovascular problems, diabetes, gallbladder disease and some cancers. "Bariatric or obesity weight loss surgery can assist morbidly obese patients to lose a significant portion of their weight, well over 50 per cent of their excess body weight, if the patients incorporate behavioural and lifestyle changes into their daily lives," Amson writes on his website (www.victoriabariatricsurgery.com). "The surgery is not uniformly successful. It's approximately 75 per cent successful in five years time." The majority of bariatric patients here are from Vancouver Island. The remainder comes from other health regions, which also send patients out of province, according to a health authority spokesperson. Currently, 559 -- again the majority from the Island -- await the bariatric surgery here. Based on a two per cent morbid obesity rate, it is projected that 1,025 would qualify annually in B.C. for the surgery. Increases in numbers here are modest compared to the jump in bariatric surgery in the U.S. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports surgeries for those between the ages of 55 and 64 jumped from 772 procedures in 1998 to 15,086 surgeries in 2004. This roughly 2,000 per cent increase compares to a 726 per cent increase in surgeries among those 18 to 54. (VIHA does not supply age-related surgery statistics). Improved survival rates are credited for the surge in bariatric surgeries, according to the U.S. agency. The death rate in the U.S. for patients hospitalized for bariatric surgery declined 78 per cent, from 0.9 per cent in 1998 to 0.2 per cent in 2004. Bariatric surgery is beneficial for obese persons who have tried but failed to lose excess weight by diet, exercise and other means. Bariatric procedures include gastric bypass operations, vertical-banded gastroplasty and gastric banding or "lapband." Doctors may recommend bariatric surgery for patients who have a body mass index of 40 or greater -- a person who is five feet two inches tall and weighs 276 pounds, - In the U.S., patients aged 18 to 54 still accounts for the most surgeries: 103,097 or 85 per cent of the total. - Adolescents aged 12 to 17 accounted for 349 bariatric procedures in 2004. - Women have bariatric surgery more often than men, roughly 82 per cent of the total. - The in-hospital death rate for men in 2004 was 0.4 percent, but it was 2.8 times higher than that of women. In 1998, the in-hospital death rate for men was six times higher. - Gastric bypass surgery -- which reduces the size of the stomach and bypasses a section of the intestines to decrease food absorption -- accounted for 94 per cent of the procedures. -- with files from Newswise © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007 Hey at least there is some coverage Take care everyone, Sim Copyright © 2007 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.