Введите текст заголовкаBariatric surgery. Surgical treatment for overweight patients.
Bariatric surgery prolongs patients lives, improves the quality of life and leads to long-term cost savings for the healthcare system. This discovery is the result of a new study led by the Department of Visceral Surgery at the Department of General Surgery of MedUni Vienna and the University Hospital Vienna (Austria).
Also known as “metabolic surgery”, bariatric surgery involves a range of minimally invasive surgical techniques that help patients achieve permanent weight loss. It also significantly improves the patient’s condition with comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, joint problems or sleep apnea. A recent study led by the Department of Visceral Surgery of the Department of General Surgery of the Medical University of Vienna and the University Hospital of Vienna in collaboration with the Regional Hospital Hollabrunn and the Institute for Pharmaceutical Economic Research showed that this treatment method has additional benefits, also effects people and healthcare system.
Bariatric surgery: scientists’ opinion.
“In the course of the study, we found out that the life quality of patients after surgery is significantly improved and their life expectancy increased. Depending on the comorbidity, the results show that the lives of those affected increased by several years, about seven years in the case of type 2 diabetes,” said Gerhard Prager from the Department of Visceral Surgery and co-author of the study.
In the long term, bariatric metabolic surgery also has a beneficial effect on the health care system. “The study shows that bariatric metabolic surgery has an impact on long-term cost savings by reducing comorbidity costs and improving overall patient health,” Prager concludes.
Obesity statistics in Austria.
In Austria, 3.7 million people over the age of 15 are overweight, about 17% of them are obese, i.e., have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 kg/m². Obesity is a chronic disease with high health risks. If it is untreated, the life expectancy of affected people is reduced to seven years, and they can expect consequences such as heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. Approximately 3,000 bariatric or metabolic procedures are performed in Austria every year.
Indications for bariatric surgery.
- Body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2 or BMI > 35 kg/m2 and serious complications (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, blood lipid profile with high risk factor)
- Acceptable risk for surgery.
- Well informed and highly motivated.
- The failure of all conventional non-surgical weight loss methods.
- Inability to cope with all the complications caused by obesity.
Contraindications for bariatric surgery.
Uncontrolled mental disorder.
Drug or alcohol addiction.
Oncological disease.
Presence of other life-threatening disorders.
Failure to comply with a diet with minimal nutritional requirements.
