Patient Safety Alert - Band and Lap patients please help.

Please help us explore a band ID verification method.

In order to better serve our patient community, we're exploring a potential patient safety resource and could use your help.

The Opportunity:
A very small number of very high profile surgical cases in mexico over the years have involved individuals returning to the U.S. with sham operations. The worst horror stories typically describe post op x-rays revealing no band implant at all. More recently, there has been concern over some Mexican surgeons potentially using outdated older band models.

Our Immediate Intent:
As a small, initial step in helping address these concerns, we would like to ask band patients who had or are planning surgery in mexico to consider testing the following resources/process. At the time of this posting, we have no experience with this process, though it's logic has been described to us by various sources.

How things should work:
1. If you have a band placed inside you, then that band has a particular ID number.
2. That band came from a box which has a label on it with the identical ID number.
3. Each ID number should be on file with the medical device manufacturer as corresponding to both:
   (a) A particular model, and
   (b) The specific surgeon that the item was sold to.


How you could help us:

(1) Get a hold of your band ID number. Post to this message board : were you given a product box? If so, did it have a band ID number on it? If you have surgery scheduled, are you planning on asking the surgeon if he/she will provide you with the box that the product came in?

(2) If you obtain a band ID number, then, ascertain who the manufacturer was. Typically this would be either Allergan (lap band), or Endo-Ethicon (Realize band).

(3) In addition to the manufacturer, obtain the product type. Which _version_ of the lap band or realize band? Was it a one of the "newer models"? If so, what name did the surgeon (or box) give you to differentiate this from, say, one of the "older models".  

(4) Verify:
Lap Band  : Allergan Mexico : Ph: 52-55-5999-8508
Realize Band: Johnson & Johnson Mexico : Ph: 52-55-1105-8100.
Call the appropriate number above. Are these valid numbers?  If you can get through, please clarify that you are post op patient, that you have the ID number of your band, that you were wanting to do a simple verification check, and that you would greatly appreciate any assistance that they might provide you. In particular ask three questions:
   #1 - Are they able to locate the ID number in their records?
   #2 - What was the product model number/type does the ID number correspond to?
   #3 - What surgeon or center was the product sold to?
   #4 - When was the sale?

A note to non-band patients:

You could help as well. If your non-band procedure was laparoscopic, there is a very high probability that your surgeon employed a one-time-use-only stapling and/or suture device during your operation. These devices come in boxes (similarly ID-labeled) and are disposed of after surgery (rather than constituting an infection control risk of requiring repeated sterilization with multiple use).  Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, Covidien, Striker and Gore are just a few companies who produce these non-band surgical devices. [Phone numbers for Mexican divisions welcome].

Perspective:

As far as we know, the above process has never been attempted. We are in receipt of the phone numbers above, in fact, as of just today. We would be pleasantly surprised if they proved fruitful as hoped above. The assumption is that random non-patients couldn't just be making up matching ID numbers, so staff on the other end of the numbers above -- or their supervisors -- SHOULD (eventually?) take the patient requests seriously.

Please share on this message board any information that you feel may be pertinent to our efforts above. One possible outcome -- if enough of you could demonstrate that the above process is fruitful -- is that working together we could help establish the process above as a cultural standard of due diligence amongst individuals planning to have surgery in Mexico (and elsewhere). Large numbers of such surgical candidates might come to communicate their expectations as such to prospective surgeons they are researching. Theoretically, the growth of any such standard could act as a deterrent against any less scrupulous surgeons considering entering the bariatric field.

For the record, ObesityHelp makes NO claims or implications about the relative merits of one brand versus another, or the age of the device, or the model used, and would discourage its members from becoming too involved at that level.

Rather, our intent at present is solely to explore one route of developing a potential route by which individuals having surgery in Mexico could collectively implement a functioning standard of very basic quality and integrity.

All input welcome. Thank you.

When I was banded I was given the original box it came in, an ID card with Allergan's contact info, the serial number, and my surgeon's name/contact info. I think I also received a book that comes with the band.

It should be noted that there is more than can be done before surgery. Call these two band companies and make sure they SELL bands to the doc people are considering. Things change... daily.

Here is how to research a MX Lap Band surgeon:

http://wasabubblebutt.blogspot.com/2010/02/researching-mexican-or-us-lap-band.html

Or a sleeve surgeon:

http://wasabubblebutt.blogspot.com/2010/03/researching-mexican-or-us-sleeve.html

Congratulations Eric and OH staff on writting this post, for trying to get things straight and most importantly looking out for the safety of the patients. I know it will be of great benefit to future patients who are looking into sugery. I'm sure that the info/feedback obtained from previous patients will be of much use and will be reflected in patient safety for people who are thinking of coming to Mexico. If I can help in any way let me know Eric, you have my email.

warm regards,
Dr. Alvarez