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gastric band

New Study Finds Weight Loss Surgery Extends Lives

03/02/2023 by DrCurry

anatomy of gastric sleeve procedure

by Dr. Trace Curry, Cincinnati, Ohio

I remember when I did my first laparoscopic gastric bypass in 2003 at Wayne Hospital in Greenville, Ohio.  I was a general surgeon then, and I wanted to branch out and challenge myself with more advanced procedures.  Those were the very early days of laparoscopic weight loss surgery, and we were still fighting the bad rap of years of high complication rates from the same exact procedure being done with a huge 12 inch incision.  Originally, I had planned on weight loss surgery being just a small part of my general surgery practice, but when I saw how these procedures totally transformed my patients’ health with just a few tiny incisions, I quickly decided to dedicate my entire practice to this exciting field.  I could see a patient’s life expectancy improve right before my very eyes – in fact I once had a patient who was so obese and had such severe sleep apnea that he had to have a tracheostomy done (this was long before Thousand Pound Sisters).  When he came in for his 1 year post op check after his gastric bypass procedure, he proudly rode his bike right into my office, his trach tube long removed!

As a weight loss surgeon, the fact that weight loss surgery increases life expectancy is something that has been plainly obvious to me for the last 20 years.  Now, however, we have new data from a study spanning 40 years and including nearly 22,000 people that confirms this as fact!

These results were just published last Wednesday in the journal Obesity. It was a retrospective study out of Utah, meaning the researchers looked back at data from patients over past years. They looked at patients with and without weight loss surgery and matched patients for things such as age, sex, and BMI so they were comparing apples to apples. There were 21,837 matched surgery and non-surgery pairs and the follow up was up to a very impressive 40 years.  This study is important not only because of the large number of patients including such a large time span, but also because it involves data on American patients which may be more applicable to patients in my practice than if the data were taken from, say patients in Sweden or Africa.

Four procedures were examined (listed from most common to least common):

  • gastric bypass
  • gastric sleeve
  • gastric band
  • duodenal switch

The researchers found that patients who underwent one of these procedures were 16% less likely to die from any cause, 29% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 43% less likely to die from various cancers, and incredibly–72% less likely to die from diabetes!

There have been other large studies that support the data seen here, so I feel like it’s about time to shout it from the rooftops!  In the U.S., it’s estimated that only 2% of patients who qualify actually end up having weight loss surgery.  Some of this is related to lack of insurance coverage, and some to patients’ reluctance to seek out weight loss surgery.  Many patients are not even aware that, when they choose an insurance plan, it may exclude access to a surgical weight loss procedure which they qualify for medically.  Not because they don’t need it, but because language is written into their policy that says it’s not going to be covered, no matter how badly they need it.

Regardless of the reason, considering modern techniques, the complication rate for bariatric surgery procedures such as gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, Lap Band, and duodenal switch are miniscule compared to what they used to be 30 years ago.  This, given with the data we see from this study and others, should compel more insurance companies to provide coverage for these life-saving procedures and more patients to consider taking this step to be rid of the disease of obesity.

Trace Curry M.D.

 

Dr. Trace Curry is the medical director of JourneyLite Physicians and JourneyLite Surgery Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.  JourneyLite is a multi-specialty center that focuses on advanced outpatient laparoscopic weight loss surgery and incisionless weight loss procedures.  He has done over 7000 weight loss procedures in his career and is a key opinion leader in the field of surgical and incisionless weight loss.

Gastric Sleeve

vertical sleeve gastrectomy

Gastric Bypass

gastric bypass anatomy

SIPS

loop duodenal switch

Lap Band

lap band photo

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: duodenal switch, gastric band, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, lap band, SADI, SIPS, weight loss surgery

Lap Band More

gastric band

Thanks for your interest in the Lap Band procedure!  Hundreds of thousands of Lap Bands have been implanted world-wide, and it remains the only adjustable weight loss operation in existence.

Minimally Invasive Approach

During the procedure, surgeons usually use laparoscopic techniques (using small incisions and long-shafted instruments), to implant an inflatable silicone band into the patient’s abdomen. Like a wristwatch, the band is fastened around the upper stomach to create a new, tiny stomach pouch that limits and controls the amount of food you eat. It also creates a small outlet that slows the emptying process into the stomach and the intestines. As a result, patients experience an earlier sensation of fullness and are satisfied with smaller amounts of food. In turn, this results in weight loss.

Safest and Least Traumatic Procedure
Since there is no cutting, stapling or stomach re-routing involved in the Lap Band procedure, it is considered one of the safest and least traumatic compared to other weight loss surgeries. For patients who suffer many medical problems as a result of their excess weight, the risk of surgery is far less than the risk of their obesity. The laparoscopic approach to the surgery also offers the advantages of reduced post-operative pain, shortened hospital stay and quicker recovery.  If for any reason the Lap Band System needs to be removed, the stomach generally returns to its original form.

Adjustable Treatment
The Lap Band is to date the only “adjustable” weight-loss surgery. This means that YOU HAVE CONTROL over your path to a healthier life! The diameter of the band is adjustable for a customized weight-loss rate. Your individual needs can change as you lose weight. For example, pregnant patients can expand their band to accommodate a growing fetus, while patients who aren’t experiencing significant weight loss can have their bands tightened.

To modify the size of the band, its inner surface can be inflated or deflated with a saline solution. The band is connected by tubing to an access port, which is placed well below the skin during surgery. After the operation, the surgeon can control the amount of saline in the band by entering the port with a fine needle through the skin. Adjustments are typically simple office procedure, and a numbing spray is used to minimize patient discomfort. Dr. Curry is the most experienced Lap Band fill doctor in Ohio, having done more than 20,000 band adjustments.

Our practice was one of the earliest adopters of the new Lap Band AP (“Advanced Performance”) System, which is a 3rd generation gastric band.  This new and improved band has numerous advantages over other bands, including a much softer, larger volume cuff and greater surface area contact of the cuff with the stomach.  We believe this will lead to faster weight loss and even fewer complications.  We use the AP system exclusively for those who chose the Lap Band System.  We were the first in Ohio to place the Lap Band AP.

If you would like to learn more about the Lap Band and other surgical options, request a consultation now!

Other Surgical Options

Gastric Sleeve

vertical sleeve gastrectomy

SIPS

loop duodenal switch

Gastric Bypass

gastric bypass anatomy

Infosession

man looking at some information on his digital devices

Meet Dr. Curry online!

Navigator

navigating with a compass

Interactive Online Weight Loss Navigator

eStore

Fast Track Chewy Bars

Protein, Vitamins, & More!

Gastric Band Revision

At one time gastric bands were the most popular weight loss surgery across the globe.  Hundreds of thousands of these devices were implanted, and many patients had excellent results.  However some patients had issues with the device, or didn’t lose enough weight.  The good news is that there are some good options for revising gastric bands that can lead to excellent results.  Gastric bands can often be converted to gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, or even the SIPS procedure.  Most of the time it can be done in a single operation, but there are times when it must be staged, first removing the band and then returning a few months later for the definitive procedure.  JourneyLite Physicians has extensive experience in revisional gastric band surgery. Explore the options below and see if one is right for you!

Band Removal With Conversion To Gastric Sleeve

Band Revision Options

Band-To-Sleeve

vertical sleeve gastrectomy

Band-To-Bypass

gastric bypass anatomy

Band-To-SIPS

loop duodenal switch

Infosession

man looking at some information on his digital devices

Meet Dr. Curry online!

Navigator

navigating with a compass

Interactive Online Weight Loss Navigator

eStore

Fast Track Chewy Bars

Protein, Vitamins, & More!

18/09/2012 by DrCurry 10 Comments

Soft Calorie Syndrome

Watch this video about Soft Calorie Syndrome – very important concept for surgical weight loss patients to understand, especially gastric band patients!

Trace Curry MD

https://journeylite.com/282/

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: gastric band, lap

Article about nutrition for plastic surgery

06/09/2012 by DrCurry 5 Comments

Are you considering plastic surgery?
Are you considering plastic surgery?

Today I came across an interesting article on plastic surgery for weight loss surgery patients. I’d like to summarize the main points of the article, as I frequently get asked questions about this topic!

This article represents a review of the literature from 2000 to 2011. The title of the article is “Nutritional Management Related to Plastic Surgery Amont Bariatric Patients: A Meta-Analysis” published in the August 2012 issue of Bariatric Times.

Here are the important points:
– Optimal timing for plastic surgery post bariatric surgery: Patient should have completed phase of rapid weight loss and have stabilized for a period of at least 4 months.

– Body weight prior to plastic surgery: Patient should ideally have achieved 60-70% excess body weight loss prior to surgery.  Less weight loss can lead to development of additional excess skin that would need to be addressed down the road, and more weight loss may mean a protein-deficient state which might interfere with healing.

– Nutritional support for patients undergoing plastic surgery:
protein: After major surgery, your protein needs go up by around 25%, so most patients should be consuming around 80-100gm daily
arginine: Arginine is an amino acid that merits special consideration in reference to plastic surgery as it enhances healing by improving the immune system, increasing the synthesis and deposition of collagen, and enables production of nitric oxide
iron: It is important not to be deficient in iron going into plastic surgery as this will lead to anemia and decreased oxygen deliver to the tissue.
vitamin C: Vitamin C increases iron absorption and also plays an important part in wound healing.

If you are considering plastic surgery, our office has worked closely with both Dr. Kurtis Martin and Dr. Jennifer Butterfield in the past, and they both do excellent work.

Hope this helps!
Trace Curry MD
LoseWeightCincy.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: gastric band, lap band, plastic surgery, sleeve gastrectomy cincinnati, weight loss cincinnati

Hospital update

04/09/2012 by DrCurry 1 Comment

The Christ Hospital
The Christ Hospital

Many of you are aware that we are doing our inpatient cases at Christ Hospital. We are excited about developing a great bariatric program at Christ, stay tuned for more info!

Trace Curry MD

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diabetes, gastric band, lap band, realize band, sleeve gastrectomy, Weight loss

Weight loss surgery cuts diabetes risk by 78%

03/09/2012 by DrCurry Leave a Comment

A new study study from Sweden shows that patients who had weight loss surgery reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 78%! 25 million + Americans have diabetes, don’t wait until you have it – do something about it now!

See ABC news story here.

Click here to register for an online seminar to find out more about your options!

Trace Curry MD

glucose meter
Don’t wait until you have to use one of these!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diabetes, gastric band, gastric bypass, lap band, realize band, sleeve gastrectomy, weight loss surgery

Lose weight in Dayton and Columbus!

10/08/2012 by DrCurry 2 Comments

We are now fully operation in our Dayton office and have expanded hours in Columbus!

We are seeing patients on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for all weight loss programs including surgical weight loss (Lap Band, Sleeve Gastrectomy, Gastric Plication, and Gastric Bypass), Adipex (phentermine), and The HCG diet.

We offer a free online seminar where I discuss all surgical and non-surgical weight loss options and the pro’s and con’s of each.

Click here to register for an online seminar, or call us today!

Cincinnati: 513-559-1222
Dayton: 937-280-LOSE
Columbus: 614-526-4463
Toll Free: 877-442-2263

Dr. Trace Curry

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: adipex, gastric band, hcg diet, lap band, phentermine, sleeve gastrectomy, weight loss columbus, weight loss dayton

Diabetes: Is It Now a Surgical Disease?

01/08/2012 by DrCurry Leave a Comment

This is a great article that is narrated by the author that talks about a couple of great studies that were just published showing how effective surgical weight loss can be for curing diabetes.

Both of these studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one from Cleveland (the STAMPEDE study) and one from Italy.

Both showed very impressive results for overweight or obese patients and their ability to come of their diabetes medications. Neither of the studies looked at adjustable gastric band (Lap Band / Realize Band). The STAMPEDE study looked at sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) and gastric bypass, while the Italian study looked at gastric bypass and a more aggressive small bowel bypass.

I believe that we will see more patients coming for surgery who are diabetics, and maybe we will start thinking of this as diabetes surgery instead of weight loss surgery!

See the full text article here.

Trace Curry MD
www.LoseWeightCincy.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: diabetes, gastric band, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, Weight loss

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