Risks of weight loss surgery rise with age
Submitted by Administrator on Wednesday, 29 March 2006No Comment
The risk of complications after weight loss or "bariatric" surgery increases slightly for each additional year over age 60, according to a report in the Archives of Surgery. The results also confirm previous reports that a "duodenal switch" operation is more likely to result in complications than the more commonly performed stomach bypass operation.
The new findings are based on an analysis of data from 452 patients who underwent bariatric surgery at the authors’ institution between 2000 and 2003.The rate of major complications was 10 percent with leakage from the connected intestines being the most common type. The minor complication rate was 13 percent.
