‘Obesity op supported’

Gastric band procedure is win-win, says top surgeon

OBESE patients facing pre-mature death, disease and disability could have their health problems solved by gastric band surgery. Top surgeon Chris Pring said a report published today shows the success the operation can have in treating a whole range of illnesses. This includes an 85.5% reduction in the number of patients with late onset diabetes brought on by their weight.

Mr Pring, who contributed to the audit of UK bariatric centres carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons, said having the operation was a win-win situation both for the patient and NHS finances. Mr Pring, a consultant surgeon at St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester, said: “This type of surgery is not about weightloss,it is about health gain. “The operation improves a person’s life expectancy and reduces their demands for NHS treatment in years to come.As well as improving their health, it also has a knock-on effect on their quality of life in terms of finding jobs, relationships and making a contribution to society. “I recently operated on a 38-year-old truck driver who was so over weight he couldn’t fit into his cab and he had developed diabetes. “It meant he was unable to work and was claiming benefits. In a year’s time he will be back on the road and his diabetes is more than likely to be gone. ”The specialist unit at St Richard’s carries out about 600 operations a year on people across the SouthEast and three-quarters of these are NHS patients.

The number of people being admitted to hospitals in Sussex for weight loss surgery has increased by more than 40% in the last year, from 232 to333. Primary care trusts say gastric surgery should be used as a last resort and recommend alternative measures such as psycho-logical support and weight-loss groups first.