ations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use

Not surprisingly anybody contemplating gastric bypass surgery does not simply want to know what the risks of surgery are, but also wants to know what their chances are of encountering these risks. The general answer that most patients receive is that they run about a 40 percent chance of running into complications either during surgery or in the months immediately following their operation. But just how accurate is this figure?

Well, according to a recently released report it is pretty accurate. In a study of more than 2,500 insurance claims submitted by gastric bypass patients who underwent surgery during 2001 and 2002 it was found that just over 20 percent of patients encountered complications during surgery and this figure rose to 40 percent when looking at claims covering a period of up to six months following surgery.

However, is this really an accurate reflection of what patients can expect today?

In looking at the results of this study you have to start by considering the complications which the study took into account in its findings. These included such things as leakage and strictures arising directly from surgery as well as dumping syndrome, vomiting, reflux and diarrhea in the post-operative period.

The four post-operative complications noted here accounted for nearly half of all the complications seen and, in the vast majority of cases, were minor, transitory and did not require medical treatment. In other words, they were nothing more than the normal and expected result of weight loss surgery and might be compared to the risk of encountering a stiff and sore arm after a vaccination.

In addition, you have to consider the timeframe for the collection of the data used in this study. In 2001 and 2002 when the study data was collected many hospitals and surgical centers were only just beginning to perform weight loss operations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use

sed report it is pretty accurate. In a study of more than 2,500 insurance claims submitted by gastric bypass patients who underwent surgery during 2001 and 2002 it was found that just over 20 percent of patients encountered complications during surgery and this figure rose to 40 percent when looking at claims covering a period of up to six months following surgery.

However, is this really an accurate reflection of what patients can expect today?

In looking at the results of this study you have to start by considering the complications which the study took into account in its findings. These included such things as leakage and strictures arising directly from surgery as well as dumping syndrome, vomiting, reflux and diarrhea in the post-operative period.

The four post-operative complications noted here accounted for nearly half of all the complications seen and, in the vast majority of cases, were minor, transitory and did not require medical treatment. In other words, they were nothing more than the normal and expected result of weight loss surgery and might be compared to the risk of encountering a stiff and sore arm after a vaccination.

In addition, you have to consider the timeframe for the collection of the data used in this study. In 2001 and 2002 when the study data was collected many hospitals and surgical centers were only just beginning to perform weight loss operations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use

at the results of this study you have to start by considering the complications which the study took into account in its findings. These included such things as leakage and strictures arising directly from surgery as well as dumping syndrome, vomiting, reflux and diarrhea in the post-operative period.

The four post-operative complications noted here accounted for nearly half of all the complications seen and, in the vast majority of cases, were minor, transitory and did not require medical treatment. In other words, they were nothing more than the normal and expected result of weight loss surgery and might be compared to the risk of encountering a stiff and sore arm after a vaccination.

In addition, you have to consider the timeframe for the collection of the data used in this study. In 2001 and 2002 when the study data was collected many hospitals and surgical centers were only just beginning to perform weight loss operations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use

and did not require medical treatment. In other words, they were nothing more than the normal and expected result of weight loss surgery and might be compared to the risk of encountering a stiff and sore arm after a vaccination.

In addition, you have to consider the timeframe for the collection of the data used in this study. In 2001 and 2002 when the study data was collected many hospitals and surgical centers were only just beginning to perform weight loss operations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use

ations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use in the USA in 2001. These procedures do of course themselves carry risks, but these are quite different both in nature and frequency to those seen in open surgery.

Currently about 60 percent of all weight loss surgery is carried out laparoscopically and this figure is likely to rise rapidly within the next two or three years to over 90 percent.

So what is the true figure for the risk of gastric bypass surgery today? Well, we don't really know because no current figures at presently available. What we can say however is that it is certainly a lot lower than the 40 percent figure which is frequently quoted.