UK surgery- lower complication rate?

 Hi All,

we have had a few weeks a discussion and Kate P. brought up that her after care mentioned that most of the complication cases they take on were results from bad after care etc. I have checked out my hospital page again. I think it states very clearly the advantages and disadvantages and the complications rate is rather low. I must add, though, I am not sure if the stats are based on the particular hospital only or nationwide or international. I thought you guys would be interested:

Advantages

• The amount of food you can eat is restricted
• You may feel fuller quicker and stay fuller for longer
• The band can be adjusted to increase or decrease the restriction via the access port under the skin on your stomach
• You can lose on average 50–60% of your excess weight
• The surgery itself has fewer risks than the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the sleeve gastrectomy, because it is a shorter procedure and the stomach and intestines are not cut, stapled or removed
• The stomach and intestines remain intact so food is digested and absorbed as normal
• The surgery can be reversed (although you will probably regain the weight

Disadvantages

• Weight loss is slower than following the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or the sleeve gastrectomy
• Weight loss may not start until many months after surgery, until the band is filled to the optimum level for your stomach
• The surgery will not always create the feeling of fullness
• The access port may twist so be inaccessible for band fills—you may require another operation to correct the problem
• The port or band may leak and deflate, which may require another operation to correct the problem
• The band may move or slip (2–5% of cases)—you may need to have all the fluid removed from your band for a period of time, or need another operation to remove or replace it
• The band may erode into the stomach wall and need another operation to remove or replace it (1% of cases)
• The band or port may become infected and need to be removed
• You may suffer from worsening gastro-oesophageal reflux (heart burn), ulceration, gastritis, bloating, difficulty swallowing, dehydration and constipation
• Nausea and vomiting may occur, particularly in the first few days after surgery—vomiting is also common if you eat too quickly or eat too much
• 10% of people fail to lose the expected amount of weight with the band
• For successful weight loss, you will have to follow dietary changes and have self control

http://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/services/surgery/weight-loss-surg ery/surgical-options/gastric-banding 

 
Evelyn, everything I have ever been told, by two separate hospital groups AND  by my local NHS Trust, agrees with these stats.

1% erosion, under 5% slips ( and that includes ones not requiring surgery), 10% not losing enough weight.

Interesting, these are almst exactly the stats found by Stroh and Monger in their logitudinal German study.

Thanks for posting this! 

See you in March.

Kate

 interesting! I wonder if the procedure of putting the band in is different, or the aftercare?

 I don't think the techniqe is any different. I do wonder about after care. Clearly things can go wrong from medical/ surgical error, and malfunction, or  just sheer bad luck - and those are in no way the patient's fault. But I wonder if the numbers who " fail " because of non- compliance might be lower in the UK simply because we are either self pay or had to fight very hard to get it on the NHS. This would then make the stats lower overall.

So maybe we are extra determined!??  And also, we may avoid the dangers of conveyor belt clinics?

But cetainly, when I read on here of people who actually know lots of people who have had serious problems, it just does not reflect my own experience.

Kate

Seriously, here in the US you see the band advertised like it is the next best diet trend. I get the impression some people jump on board with little education about how a band works or, a realistic expectation of average results.  I love how plainly and accurately this is worded -- it should be mandatory reading for all those considering a band.

 I agree with you- plus I thought of all complications and some comments of people who said they were never told it could happen. This short text sums up everything- probably I keep it save as a bookmark for newbies :)