More Obese Children Having Weight-Loss Surgery
As the popularity of stomach surgery has skyrocketed among obese adults, a growing number of doctors are asking, "Why not children, too?" For decades, the number of kids trying weight-loss surgery has been tiny. The operations themselves were risky, with a death rate of about 1 in 50. Children rarely got that fat, and when they did, pediatricians hesitated to put the developing bodies under the knife.
350 U.S. kids had such an operation in 2004, according to federal statistics.
The FDA has hesitated to approve the gastric band xurgery for children, but surgeons at New York University Medical Center reported in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery this month that the device holds promise.
A Journal of the American Medical Association study, published in 2005, involved mortality rates for patients undergoing some form of bariatric, or gastric bypass, surgery. The study, previously reported in the Regan Zambri & Long Medical Malpractice Blog, found that mortality rates were much higher for the surgery than previously believed, and that patients of surgeons who performed more bariatric surgeries per year experienced a lower mortality rate.
According to the American Academy of Bariatric Surgeons, hospitals need to make certain the following requirements are in place before qualified surgeons are given privileges to perform gastric bypass surgery:
* "Have credentials at an accredited facility to perform gastrointestinal and biliary surgery.
* Document that he or she is working within an integrated program for the care of the morbidly obese patient that provides ancillary services such as specialized nursing care, dietary instruction, counseling, support groups, exercise training, and psychological assistance as needed.
* Document that there is a program in place to prevent, monitor and manage short-term and long-term complications.
* Document that there is a system in place to provide and encourage follow-up for all patients. Follow-up visits should either be directly supervised by the Bariatric surgeon of record or other health care professionals who are appropriately trained in perioperative management of bariatric patients and part of an integrated program. While applicants can not guarantee patient compliance with follow-up recommendations, they should demonstrate evidence of adequate patient education regarding the importance of follow-up as well as adequate access to follow-up."
If you have legal questions about a possible case involving gastric bypass surgery, please click here to contact Regan Zambri & Long or call (202) 463-3030.