The March 10, 2003 issue of “People Magazine” carried an article about 4 patients who have had very serious complications from weight loss surgery.  The article is entitled, “Weighing the Risks.”  The patients’ complications include excessive weight loss and the necessity for a feeding tube, bleeding ulcers and a fistula; osteoporosis and extreme fatigue; infections which led to gangrene and having an arm amputated; and a leak. The reporting is real, and my heart goes out to these people and to the many patients who have had complications. 

I can understand why “People Magazine” ran such an article.  They have covered Carnie Wilson and Al Roker and how their lives have been so positively changed.  So in the spirit of balance, they ran an article on the other side of the surgery.  But it is important to understand that the word "balance" refers only to telling both sides of the story.  As you will see in the article, there are far more surgeries performed with little or no complications than surgeries with major problems.

There are many risks to having weight loss surgery and of course as with any surgery, there is the ultimate risk, death. One of the criteria for having weight loss surgery that has been set by the National Institutes of Health is that patients must understand the risks and benefits of this surgery.  I often discuss the benefits because my life and the lives of thousands of others, including Al Roker and Carnie Wilson, have been so positively affected.  But it is also necessary to look at the risks. 

The problem with looking at the risks, and often listening to the benefits as well, is that they come in the form of incidental stories.  While the stories may be interesting, they do not provide a scientific, statistical picture of the possible problems.  Therefore I would like to provide that. Your surgeon is hopefully telling you that, yes there are risks, but it is impossible for your surgeon to go over every risk with you. There just is not enough time as you pass through their office. If he or she spent that much time with you as well as all the other patients, there would be howls of protests from patients sitting for hours in the waiting room.

There is an ultimate source for data on weight loss surgery complications including deaths. It is the International Bariatric Surgery Registry, an organization that collects data from surgeons who perform weight loss surgeries. The Registry periodically issues reports on complications that have occurred during and following weight loss surgery. The Report is compiled from the data submitted by surgeons.  The Registry does not evaluate surgeons, or evaluate any methods of performing surgery; they merely compile the data and report it. Their hope is that surgeons will compare their performance with the norm and if they have more complications or deaths than what other surgeons have, they will know something is wrong. 

The most recent Registry Report was done in 2000-2001.  The Registry reported on 10,993 patients and what complications (including deaths) occurred within 30 days following surgery. The death rate was 3/10th of 1%.  This is 1 death in every 300 surgeries. 

However, for the other complications, which are something that “People Magazine” dealt with, here is the scientific data.

For the full report, click here http://www.asbs.org/html/rationale/rationale.html

I hope that you take the time to read the full article.  But at any rate, by looking over the chart above, you have now been fully informed. You have met one part of the criteria the National Institutes of Health sets in order to qualify for the surgery, which is to understand the risks of having the surgery.