Abstract
Obesity is a serious problem of global public health affecting developed and undeveloped countries. People with body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2 represent 7 % of the world’s population. However, in some of the developed countries, the prevalence of morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m2) is as high as 5 %. Bariatric surgery is one of the fastest growing hospital procedures in the USA and in Europe. It is estimated that in the USA 220,000 weight loss surgeries were performed in 2008.
The operations that surgeons use today to treat severe obesity are modifications of procedures that were designed to save lives requiring removal of the stomach or intestine. For example, one of the well-known side effects of the Billroth II operation is weight loss. The empiric use of bypass and restrictive procedures proved to be very effective in reducing excess weight but also introduced new complications in itself. Some of these were related to the procedure, others to metabolic changes induced by the new anatomic situation. During the last 50 years, the 30-day mortality risk of bariatric surgery has decreased from 4 to less than 0.5 %. Moreover, major complications are diverse such as bleeding, leakages and problems related to the laparoscopic approach, but also in relation with the adjustable gastric band.
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London
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Berends, F.J., Janssen, I.M.C. (2014). Prevention and Treatment of Major Complications After Bariatric Surgery. In: Cuesta, M., Bonjer, H. (eds) Treatment of Postoperative Complications After Digestive Surgery. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4354-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4354-3_10
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