Bariatric Surgery Trends and Predictions for 2010 from the Editors of Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery

December 11, 2009 (PRLEAP.COM) Health News
Extra, Extra, Read All About It: The editors of Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery are gazing into the crystal ball once again to see what type of news coverage bariatric surgery will generate in the coming year.

Here are 10 bariatric surgery headlines we just may see in 2010:

Bariatric Surgery Numbers Still High for 2009

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is still crunching the numbers for 2009, but they are likely to be slightly higher than they were in 2008. There were 220,000 bariatric surgeries performed in 2008, compared with 205,000 in 2007. The leap from 2008 to 2009 won't be quite as steep, due to the faltering economy.

Diabetes Epidemic Drives Increase in Bariatric Surgeries in 2010 and Beyond

A projected doubling of the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to spur a further uptick in the number of bariatric surgeries performed in 2010 and beyond. The latest study shows that as many as 44 million Americans will have diabetes by 2034. That's up from 23 million today. The increase is due to the convergence of the aging of the population and the obesity epidemic. A growing body of evidence suggests that bariatric surgery can stop diabetes in its tracks.

Grand Opening: New Surgical Weight Loss Program for Teens

As the list of benefits of weight loss surgery in teens increases, we will see more surgical weight loss programs for teens popping up at hospitals across the map. The most recent study showed that weight loss surgery quickly improves the heart health of obese teens and that these improvements last for at least two years. This means that obese teens are less likely to have heart disease as adults if they undergo weight loss surgery now. The study was presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Heart Association.

Incision-Free Bariatric Surgery Catches On

Surgeons will continue to study and perfect less invasive bariatric surgeries like the transoral gastroplasty (TOGA) procedure. This surgery alters the stomach anatomy to create a feeling of fullness after a small meal, without any cuts to the stomach. A phase III study is ongoing, and some results may trickle in during 2010.

Hourglass Figure Possible After Massive Weight Loss

More and more people are undergoing bariatric surgery to lose weight, only to be left with hanging fat and flab in visible areas. As plastic surgeons put on their thinking caps to better address these issues, expect to hear about many new procedures, including the corset trunkplasty. This new surgery targets above-the-belly-button flab to recreate an hourglass silhouette in formerly obese women and get rid of love handles in men who have lost massive amounts of weight. This area has been left out of many traditional body contouring procedures that target the lower abs, buttocks and/or thighs.

Single Incision Weight Loss Surgery Means Fewer Scars, Quicker Healing

Growing numbers of bariatric surgeons will be performing gastric banding with one 8-centimeter incision, instead of four or five incisions in 2010. This means fewer scars and shorter healing periods.

The Battle of the Bands Wages On

There are two major players in the gastric banding field – the Lap Band and the Realize Band – and 2010 will continue to bring more information about how they contrast and compare.

Surgery-Free Weight Loss Is Here to Stay

The coming year should bring more new information on the endoluminal sleeve, known as the EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner, now in late-stage clinical trials. Lining the upper small intestine with this impermeable sleeve may offer the benefits of surgery without associated complications and risks. The latest data show that obese individuals with uncontrolled diabetes using this endoluminal sleeve liner achieved near-normal blood sugar levels in just one week.

Bariatric Surgeons Become Team Players

Whether it's with family practitioners who specialize in non-surgical weight loss to help people get over their post-surgery plateaus, registered dieticians to tweak post-surgical nutrition needs or psychologists to help people cope with emotional changes following massive weight loss, bariatric surgery practices will increasingly take multidisciplinary approaches to care in 2010. Surgeons will also be offering revision surgeries such as the transoral ROSE to people who have previously had weight loss surgery but have gained the weight back – a growing population both literally and figuratively.

Weight Loss Surgery Not Just for the Obese

As studies highlight the curative powers of bariatric surgery, there will be a push to offer it to people with even lower body mass indexes (BMI). As it stands, the National Institutes of Health states that bariatric surgery should be reserved for those with a BMI of 35 or more; but if people who are just moderately obese also have diabetes, they too should be considered candidates. Expect to hear more about this in 2010.

For more information about these and other current issues in weight loss surgery, please visit Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery.

About Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery

Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery is a one-stop, independent resource with comprehensive information on life before, during and after bariatric surgery. This website provides detailed information about weight loss surgery (or bariatric surgery), including who makes the best candidate for each procedure, the recovery time after surgery and appropriate expectations.

Bariatric surgery articles are reviewed by an editorial advisory board comprising some of the nation's leading surgeons. The site is accredited by the Health on the Net Foundation, assuring consumers of the highest-quality, most trustworthy information on the Web. To complement this robust content, a before-and-after photo gallery and a directory of bariatric surgeons are available.