Question:
Anyone know Statistics on complications?

Since WLS has started to become more and more common, I'm wondering if anyone has heard (good or bad) stats on how many people who have surgery for weight loss end up with severe to fatal coplications.. I'm asking because my family wants to be supportive but there have been many stories about critical or deadly out comes in the news lately. I was wondering if there were any cold factual stats anywhere? ie out of 100 people who've had GBS 25 of them had --- or --- out of 200 in the past year have ---? Anyone read or heard or know where I could look? Thanks Erin Pekar    — Erin P. (posted on January 20, 2004)

January 20, 2004
http://www.wlscenter.com/ResearchArticles/RisksOfSurgery.htm<P> Barb thompson has a great book which discuses complications and how to avoid them. But risk is individual to you! The overall death rate includes people near 1000 pounds who cant walk at all and have surgery. A person like this is at more risk than someone who is 300 pounds. Then its possible to minimize risks like blood clots by walking a lot after surgery. Also exercising all you can before surgery, it helps you to go thru surgery safer.<P> Lastly its dangerous to remain MO, in my case I was dying and loosing the weight literally saved my life.
   — bob-haller

January 20, 2004
Erin, Really - the stats that I felt were most important to me were my particular surgeon's stats. He will tell you up front how many surgeries he's done, how many fatalities, how many complications, which were major, which were minor and what was involved, and the infection rate. A good surgeon should be willing and able to provide that information. Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride

January 20, 2004
I don't have a statistical answer for you, However.... Yesterday a woman who I know wanted to hear about my surgery because she is thinking about having it.. She said "Im nervous because Everyone is dying". I got heated and said... "Everyone is not dying.. everyone is surviving.. Three people died" (locally within the last 8 months)(all different dr's and different hospitals) Just look at all the successes on this site. They don't make headlines.. Just the tradgies. Im sorry for everyone who has lost someone to this or any other surgery. THIS SURGERY SAVED MY LIFE ! ! ! I dont' mean to yell but I feel very strongly about it. Thanks for listening and good luck.
   — Lisa S.

January 20, 2004
If you have a surgeon, ask him/her their personal stats. That will mean more than a national average. My surgeon hadn't lost a patient yet out of 1200 surgeries (he also stresses preop testing and following the exercise and diet plan before surgery). And as Bob said, some risks can be avoided by doing as you are told by the doctor and nurses - walk walk walk and don't push the eating afterwards by eating things you aren't ready for in the first 6 weeks. A lot of complications can be avoided just by following the rules. Good luck. It seems scary, but I felt I was at just as much risk of dying from being M Obese as from surgery. These complications and fatalities also happen with any other surgery. There will always be greater risk from any surgery when you are MO.
   — Dragonfly2B2

January 21, 2004
The figure I have seen quoted is 1 out of every 200 result in death. I'm not sure I believe it is that high as each surgeon would have different stats. It could be higher for some surgeons who agree to operate on those at the very highest risk-over 500 pounds perhaps, and for other surgeons who don't, their rates could be much, much lower. You tend to read more about the ones who die than the ones who live and flourish, but the truth is so many, many more live and flourish than die. There is always going to be the possibility of complications from any major surgery, no matter what the surgery- a certain # will die from blood clots or a heart attack on the table, etc, etc. Not just WLS. What your family has to look at is the risk of you remaining obese-that will shorten your life for sure.
   — Cindy R.

January 21, 2004
Recent press reports on WLS have the death rate much higher these days -- more like 1 in 100. I believe, though I'm no expert, this is due to more high risk patients and more doctors who are less experienced doing the surgery. The numbers of people having surgery and doctors performing it have skyrocketed in the last couple of years. CHeck with your surgeon, those are the stats that are important.
   — Lisa C.