Re-Do Bariatric Surgery



sharma-obesity-laparoscopic-surgery5This week I am Co-Chairing and speaking at the 8. Annual Obesity Symposium hosted by the European Surgical Institute in Norderstedt, just outside of Hamburg, Germany.

As was pointed out, even in the best hands, 10 to 20% of patients undergoing bariatric surgery will “fail”, often prompting surgeons to reoperate.

As I write this post, I am watching live “re-do” surgery on a patient who had an open Mason vertical-banded gastroplasty in 1987 (remining us that bariatric surgery has been around far longer than many people think).

Listening to the surgeon (Dr. Bruno Dillemans, Bruges, Belgium) commenting on the operation, it is apparent (even to a non-surgeon like myself), that this kind of surgery can be most challenging.

With the vast increase in the number of patients undergoing bariatric surgery worldwide, it is easy to see that bariatric “re-do” surgery will pose a significant challenge down the road.

@DrSharma
Norderstedt, Germany