Sister of Lap-Band patient files lawsuit - Los Angeles Times
This has more info in it..the last paragraph made me shiver..."the anesthesiologist forgot to turn on the oxygen">!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sister of Lap-Band patient files lawsuit - Los Angeles Times
This has more info in it..the last paragraph made me shiver..."the anesthesiologist forgot to turn on the oxygen">!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't believe that's true in terms of complications during operations - in fact the position paper from the American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeons that I read says that Gastric Band is the safest in terms of peri-operative complications. I think it's the longer term complications for the Band that are problematic ...
Quote from that paper;
The Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative (MBSC) evaluated 30 day complication rates for 62 bariatric surgeons in 25 hospitals and reported the risk of serious complication after LSG to be 2.2% compared to 0.9% for LAGB and 3.6% for RYGB.15 Another publication from MBSC used a registry of 25,469 bariatric patients to develop a risk prediction model for serious complications after bariatric surgery and found the risk of SG to fall between LAGB and
RYGB.
(LSG = Laparascopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, LAGB = Laparascopic Adjustable Gastric Banding, RYGB = Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass)
That is my thought to...most every surgeon I interviewed said the lap band had the lowest complication rate but my surgeon has pretty much phased them out because they don't work very well and any foreign object in the body is a site for infections. This is true for lap bands but also artificial knees and hips, stents and pacemakers etc... I have a friend who is having her lapband out in 2 weeks because the thing keeps slipping.
I did lots of research before deciding to go to Mexico to have my WLS. I knew the risk of surgery. I said my goodbyes before leaving my family to go for the surgery. It was a risk I was willing to take. However, my research showed that the surgeon I chose (Almanza) had more experience in number of years and patients than the highest ranked WLS doctor in my state. His fatality rate is 1% - meaning someone died. It wasn't me. One of the patients that had surgery on the same day as me experienced major complications and had to go back through surgery due to bleeding out through his port incision. This person was a heavy smoker and drinker. I attributed his complications to his lifestyle.
Complications happen with any surgery. In any hospital. With any doctor. I'm glad it wasn't me. I had no complications and would do it again in a heartbeat! I'm extremely happy with my results!!
I lost my spleen during my sleeve surgery. I had a great surgeon, head of the bariatric program for the health system for which I work, and I have always been pretty healthy and strong for the most part. My spleen was stuck to my stomach as a result of adhesions from another surgery and it started bleeding out while my surgeon was trying to seperate; she made the decision to remove it to save my life. I went into the surgery knowing that there are risks with any surgery; risks of unforeseen complications, bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, etc. I knowingly consented to the surgery because I thought that resolving my weight issues and becoming healthy so I could live a real life again were worth the bit of risk involved. Nothing would happen to ME, right? I was a great candidate and my surgeon was a competent, conservative physician. But it did happen. Fortunately my outcome was different than this poor woman - after an unexpected and more difficult post-op period, I am doing great, and I am glad I did this. It is a risk we have all taken and lived through to tell our stories. If it were without risk, every obese person in the world would be lining up to have it done, right? It is our responsibility to research and educate ourselves so that we can weigh the risks of being obese vs. having surgery and make an informed decision. My heart goes out to this woman and her family...
A couple of women that I work with went to Dr. Kuri for their lap-band surgeries and they swear by him. My friend and her hubby described in detail the hospital and procedure and everything, because she thought he was wonderful. She said that he is one of the top surgeons in his field and the facility is immacculate. She loved the way they catered to their patients, too. It is so very sad that this happened. I pray for those affected.
This could have happened in any part of the world. I know 2 people who have died from complications after having the gastric bypads in the US. Thank God my surgery was a success in Mexico.
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