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New study indicates obesity surgery deadlier than initially thought

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, October 20, 2005

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A new study of over 16,000 Medicare patients indicates that patients undergoing obesity surgery have a much higher mortality rate than initially thought, according to the Associated Press (AP). The study was published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The study involving 16,155 Medicare patients who underwent surgery between 1997 and 2002 showed that among 35- to 44-year olds undergoing obesity surgery, more than 5% of men and nearly 3% of women died within a year. Rates were slightly higher for patients between the ages of 45 to 54. For patients between the ages of 65 to 74, nearly 13% of men and about 6% of women died within a year. In patients 75 and older, nearly half of the men and 40% of the women died, according to the AP.

Although the study did not breakdown deaths by cause, obesity surgery, like surgery in general, can cause a deadly shock to a patient's body. Obesity surgery can cause potentially deadly complications including malnutrition, infection and bowel and gallbladder problems

"The risk of death is much higher than has been reported," said University of Washington surgeon Dr. David Flum, the Medicare study's lead author. "It's a reality check for those patients who are considering these operations." It is estimated that obesity surgery will be performed more than 150,000 times this year in the United States, according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

To view the study published in JAMA, click here.

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