Bariatric Surgery for Children

Bariatric Surgery for Children
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Bariatric Surgery for Children
Introduction
Obesity is nowadays running rampant in the United States where majority of the population is either obese or overweight resulting to a major health problem which has reached an epidemic proportion in most parts of the globe (Farraye & Forse, 2006). Evidence has continued to accumulate linking obesity to many diseases including hypertension and type II diabetes accounting for significant morbidity as well as mortality on annual basis. However, according to Talanian (2003), “despite many of these people being interested in making changes to their lives in order to live healthier and better lives, they find it time consuming and difficult to change their lifestyles in order to significantly lose weight.” Alternatively, a considerable number of these obese children are turned to popular procedures for weight loss in frantic attempts to shed the unnecessary weight such as bariatric surgery.
Currently, bariatric surgery is the only treatment modality providing significant as well as sustained weight loss for morbidly obese children resulting to improvement in comorbidities that are obesity-related (Bohan, 2011). Bariatric surgery also referred to as weight loss surgery, is a procedure which is usually performed on morbidly obese children in order to lose weight (Farraye & Forse, 2006; Davis, 2004). This procedure specifically alters the digestive system by reducing the stomach size thereby allowing the obese person to feel fuller faster. This makes them to eat less which is the used weight loss mechanism. Bariatric surgery is performed either by removing a stomach’s portion (sleeve gastrectomy) or by implanting a medical device (gastric banding) or by gastric bypass surgery which is the small intestines’ resecting and re-routing to a small stomach pouch (Pitombo, 2008; Caruso, 2007).
Many children who are obese have not been successful to loss significant weight through exercise plans and traditional diet are the most potential candidates for bariatric surgery. My interest in this topic has being motivated because I have a cousin who is currently over weight and considering to undergo bariatric surgery. However, I believe that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with this surgical procedure. But for children who are morbidly obese the benefits of bariatric surgery outweighs the risks due to the detrimental effects envisaged to accrue from serious obesity if this intervention is not taken for these kind of patients (Caruso, 2007).
Analysis
Various articles reviewed in writing this discussion illustrates that there are several benefits and risks associated with bariatric surgery. For instance, the benefits include that bariatric surgery presents a considerable number of benefits, such as significant weight loss which is long-term, improvement or even reversion of type II diabetes, improvement of cardiovascular diseases and added longevity (Farraye & Forse, 2006). In fact, children who have undergone bariatric surgery procedure must follow new diet regimens in addition to have the willingness of making other mental and physical changes in their day to day lifestyles. Bohan (2011) notes that “We know it's a family disease”, thus this is actually a lifetime commitment to better health (Bohan, 2011; Davis, 2004; Talanian, 2003). According to Bohan “Bariatric surgery is the most enduringly successful treatment for obesity, with patients on average keeping off 25 percent of their weight 10 years after the surgery”
Moreover, bariatric surgery compares and contrasts with the conventional methods of weight reduction in a number of ways. For instance, bariatric surgery is the most appropriate for a quick fix to morbid obesity leading to a tremendous reduction of weight. “The reduction of the stomach into an egg size capacity greatly reduce the amount of food intake for children involved”, this is according to Pitombo (2008). However, the overall result is the same, to reduce weight. Thus for those who achieves it through conventional methods such as medications, exercise and dieting bariatric surgery is not necessary considering the risks involved.
However, in order to avoid inappropriate practice of this procedure NIH has recommended certain guidelines that must be adhered to prior to obese children undergoing this procedure. These includes that the child must be with a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or more under hospital supervision diet program and exercise while at t...