The number of bariatric surgeries performed in the United States has increased exponentially. Given that most patients are female and of reproductive age, it is important for clinicians who manage women’s health issues to be aware of the surgery, its long-term goals, and the potential effect on future pregnancies. Most pregnancies after bariatric surgery have successful outcomes with decreased occurrences of gestational diabetes and hypertension and lower birth weight compared with control patients. Following nutritional guidelines and supplementation in the event of deficiencies are critical in the provision of prenatal care to this unique population. Other important issues include a multidisciplinary team management, a different approach to screening for gestational diabetes, careful eva…

(Source: Archives of Surgery)

(Source: Archives of Surgery)

Conclusions  Although weight reduction with a 14-day VLCD regimen before laparoscopic gastric bypass performed in high-volume centers seems to reduce the perceived difficulty of the procedure, only minor effects on operating time, intraoperative complications, and short-term weight loss could be expected. However, the finding of reduced postoperative complication rates suggests that such a regimen should be recommended before bariatric surgery. (Source: Archives of Surgery)

CONCLUSION: Although bariatric surgery is the only path towards sustained weight loss for morbidly obese patients, the direct costs over the first year after the procedure are greater. Further studies, with longer follow-up, might elucidate whether long-term reversal of this trend would occur.
PMID: 22069127 [PubMed – in process] (Source: Sao Paulo Medical Journal)