Latest sleeve research study results

This was tweeted by Dr Alvarez (@Endobariatric on Twitter) earlier today:

Obesity Surgery, Volume 22, Number 3 - SpringerLink

At the end of 3 years, there was 83.3% resolution in diabetes, 85.7% resolution in hypertension ....

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Yes, I know these results come from a group of Indian bariatric surgeons and you might be thinking: "But surely they don't have obesity with people 50 - 70 Kgs overweight with BMI's 45 - 50 in India?" like I did (!) but obviously this is NOT the case.

Obesity is global, and on one of the dedicated sleeve only forums I take part in, people turn up from all over the globe (Lithuania, Pakistan, Dubai) saying they have either had or are about to have a gastric sleeve !!!

Sharonimo said:

This was tweeted by Dr Alvarez (@Endobariatric on Twitter) earlier today:

Obesity Surgery, Volume 22, Number 3 - SpringerLink

Yes, I know these results come from a group of Indian bariatric surgeons and you might be thinking: "But surely they don't have obesity with people 50 - 70 Kgs overweight with BMI's 45 - 50 in India?" like I did (!) but obviously this is NOT the case.

Obesity is global, and on one of the dedicated sleeve only forums I take part in, people turn up from all over the globe (Lithuania, Pakistan, Dubai) saying they have either had or are about to have a gastric sleeve !!!

Click to expand...

Hmmm..... Wonder how many ops they have to study before they can determine whether it is an effective option as a stand-alone op? And what about those who choose to have this op meanwhile.... Are they guinea pigs?

Barbara

BarbaraG said:

Hmmm..... Wonder how many ops they have to study before they can determine whether it is an effective option as a stand-alone op?

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When I read that last line in the article I thought "ridiculous" because surely their own 3 year study (plus many many others) already proves that the sleeve is very effective at producing (1) significant weight loss, and (2) resolution of Diabetes, hypertension and other co-morbidities.

The VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) has been performed for just over 10 years, the real trials (and guinea pigs) were back in 2000 - 2003.

When it was invented the VSG operation was originally intended to be the first part of a 2 stage procedure for very high risk, high BMI patients ..... but many of those patients lost sufficient weight with the first operation that a 2nd operation was not needed.


I have become aware in recent months that a FEW surgeons in the world (at least one in Mexico and one in the USA) are now no longer performing the RNY bypass, and prefer the gastric sleeve.

On one of the US sleeve-only groups I take part in a lady turned up a few weeks ago asking for advice about what the gastric sleeve is, as she had just been told her surgeon is no longer performing the RNY bypss (which she had been expecting) ..... when the lady asked her surgeon why his response was that the sleeve offers almost exactly the same amount of weight loss, with fewer long term post operative complications.


(The cynical part of me does realise that sleeve ops can be performed in less than an hour and RNY can take up to 4 hours, so in Mexico and the USA where ops are all paid for privately -- either direct or by medical insurance companies -- perhaps some surgeons have realised they can make more money by performing 6 sleeve ops a day rather than just 2 or 3 bypass ops per day.)

Hi BarbaraG, I had my VSG in May 2009 and I lost all my excess weight, most of it in the 1st year and all of it after another 6 months. I have been stable ever since with a BMI of 22. I was 51 when I had the surgery in Brno. I think it was the best thing I ever did for my health. My asthma has gone and I have hope of a long and healthy retirement and seeing grandkids one day. I was lucky that I never developed diabetes, but I know lots of others who had theirs cured by losing weight with this op.
Sometimes the guinea pigs get lucky
Jane

jane_j said:

Hi BarbaraG, I had my VSG in May 2009 and I lost all my excess weight, most of it in the 1st year and all of it after another 6 months. I have been stable ever since with a BMI of 22. I was 51 when I had the surgery in Brno. I think it was the best thing I ever did for my health. My asthma has gone and I have hope of a long and healthy retirement and seeing grandkids one day. I was lucky that I never developed diabetes, but I know lots of others who had theirs cured by losing weight with this op.
Sometimes the guinea pigs get lucky
Jane

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thats great to hear Jane, I'm 51 and am also going to Brno for a sleeve, i have asthma too, so you give me hope, thank you xxx

Hi Caren,
Good decision and please send Dr C my love. Have you tried Symbicort for the asthma, this worked well for me before the asthma finally just went away.
Saw you have given up on the NHS, don't blame you. I looked at all the info I could on these sorts of forums before deciding to do it privately, luckily I had the cash to spare, as the NHS makes you jump through hoops and it takes ages. Also I felt guilty about taking NHS resources when it was my fault because I overate. I know it's not that simple, but plenty of people in the UK would be very judgemental. This way it was purely my business and I now have saved the NHS money although as I may live longer in the long term I may actually cost it more?!
Hope you get your date soon.
Jane

Hi Jane,

Great to hear from you and your success with the sleeve. it appears you had your operation on what was my 41st birthday (12 May 2009) -- not that that means anything -- just random coincidence !!

Look forward to seeing more of you in this forum !!

Its good to hear great sucess with sleeve..

Well done jane for losing the weight and maintaining :clap:
Sharon your birthday same day as mine and i am the same age arty0038:

Nicky xx

Its good to hear that the sleeve weightloss can be as good as the bypass, because i just too chicken to have the bypass!

Kim