HEALTH COACH - Nearly 20 percent of gastric band patients face additional surgeries, study finds

HEALTH COACH -

 Nearly 20 percent of gastric band patients face additional surgeries, study finds   
 


When gastric band surgery was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2001, it was considered an essential weapon in the fight against obesity. However, the group's popularity has slipped in recent years, from 55,300 in 2011 to 25,060 in 2013, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Gastric Surgery.

A first longitudinal study on gastric band procedures explained why fewer people are choosing this weight loss device.

The researchers examined data from 25,042 Medicare patients who underwent gastric band surgery between 2006 and 2013 to see if they needed additional procedures in subsequent years. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that 18.5 percent of these patients needed to have additional procedures or "reoperations" to remove or replace the gastric band or undergo another procedure such as gastric bypass. On average, these patients had 3.8 additional procedures after their initial surgery.

"Together, these findings indicate that the gastric band is associated with high reactivation rates and significant costs for payers, raising concerns about its safety, efficacy and value," the authors wrote. "These results suggest that payers should reconsider their coverage of the gastric band apparatus".

Dr. Andrew Ibrahim, lead author of the study, said: "The study stresses the importance of following our new procedures longitudinally. It is amazing that it is 16 years old and now we have our first longitudinal study. "





The gastric band is designed to work by reducing the size of the opening of the stomach pouch to lessen feelings of hunger. The procedure is less invasive than a complete gastric drift, where the stomach is cut and reshaped. As a result, it does not require a long stay at the hospital, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Gastric Surgery.

However, the ASMGS finds that it is less effective than other more invasive gastric procedures, with a "higher percentage of patients who fail to lose at least 50% Excess body weight compared to other routinely performed surgeries ". The organization points out that the group has the "highest reactivation rate".

The costs of these additional procedures were substantial. Medicare paid a total of $ 470 million for gastric band procedures during the study. Approximately $ 224 million of these funds were for reoperations.

The researchers found that the average cost for an initial operation was $ 12,345. But the average cost of additional procedures was $ 19,657.

By 2013, Medicare 's share of money spent on redevelopment far exceeded the money spent on the initial transaction. By 2013, 77.3% of annual expenditures on gastric band appliances were to be revised. Ibrahim and the other authors stated that the study can help payers better understand the disadvantages of the gastric band compared to other procedures.

"A device where half the money is spent to revise or remove it should prompt us to question whether we should use it," Ibrahim told ABC News.

 Dr. Alia Hassanali is a resident of the medical unit ABC News. She completed her residency in family medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.