Gastric balloon surgery for teenagers

[Mio]

Sheffield hospital plans teenager gastric balloon trial

Overweight teenagers in South Yorkshire could be fitted with gastric balloons, if a trial is approved.


Sheffield Children's Hospital said it wanted to use the balloons to help 10 morbidly obese 13 to 18-year-olds lose weight.


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I think in a way it's quite sad that they're going for this rather than increasing the availability of counselling/"talking treatments" for kids to help them avoid WLS in the future! What do other people think?

 

[Tatiana]

I tink this should be looked into and given a chance to work for a set period of time to see if, a less invasive procedure and the support and additional services to be offered to this age group, might reduce the number of young adults in their early 20's undergoing more drastic procedures such as bypass surgery.

The first patient who had a bypass at my local hospital is just 20 years old, the mother to a toddler and weighed in excess of 22 stones. Perhaps, if she had been taken into a programme such as the one to be tried out in Yorkshire, then she would not be in such drastic need of interventional and invasive surgery.

Tatiana

 

[Fuffs]

I agree with Tatiana. I feel this could work well. I am guessing it will go along with a weight management programme. Then they will get the support before, during and after. Plus their families should be fully included. I am guessing this would all be the case anyway.