If you are looking for some additional feedback on the pros and cons of gastric banding vs the sleeve gastrectomy, you may find this article in the November 27th issue of the Sunday Telegraph sheds some light on the subject.
Featuring quotes from Upper GI Surgery’s own Dr Michael Talbot it give’s some differing views on the for and against of the sleeve gastrectomy – Dr Talbot s view?
“One of Australia’s “sleeving” pioneers, Dr Michael Talbot, said the most serious complication is gastric fluid leaking from the staple line causing serious infection that can result in a month-long hospital stay or even death.
Lap-banding is safer and Dr Talbot warned that sleeving should only be performed on the morbidly obese in need of rapid weight loss.
“That risk varies from 0.5 per cent to 3 per cent depending on the centre where the surgery is occurring and the experience of the surgeon,” said Dr Talbot, an upper gastro intestinal surgeon at St George Public and Pri- vate Hospitals.
“If there are several hundred cases a year, statistically speaking it will happen. Whereas the risk of significant complications of a similar magnitude is one in 1000 or less with the gastric band.”
Dr Talbot said on average, patients lose 60 per cent of the extra weight they carry, or 30-40kg over 12 months.”
