KGMU doctors perform first keyhole bariatric surgery

LUCKNOW: Surgeons at King George’s Medical University performed their first keyhole bariatric surgery to rid a severely obese female patient (weighing 104 kg) of health problems.

The operation by the doctors of surgical gastroenterology department took about three hours. “The stomach was divided so as to reduce its capacity to 150-200ml. This will not only decrease the food intake but also her craving for food by producing hormonal changes,” said Prof Abhijit Chandra, HoD.

Prof Chandra described the procedure as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with laparoscopic removal of gall bladder for concomitant gall stone disease. The patient was suffering from joint pain, hypertension and dyslipidemia (high cholesterol level), for which the long term permanent solution was bariatric surgery but she could not afford the cost in the corporate sector, where such a procedure cost ` 2 to ` 4 lakhs. The combined cost of investigations and surgery at KGMU came to just one -tenth of the private centre.

On the third day after surgery, the patient was allowed to eat and was found fit for discharge on Saturday.

Explaining obesity, Prof Chandra said non-surgical treatment of obesity in the form of lifestyle modification and anorectic drugs, was a rela- tively straightforward way to treat obesity. Unfortunately, none of these treatments were successful in long term. Dieting was not only ineffective but concerns about safety, both medical and psychological associated with weight fluctuations were raised, he said.

The team included Dr Vishal Gupta, Dr Saket, Dr Parvez and Dr Chetna.

“The only effective treatment in motivated patients is bariatric surgery. It is indicated in patients with BMI more than 35 with components of metabolic syndrome. Long term results are encouraging and have lead to the permanent cure of diabetes or hypertension in addition to sustained weight loss in more than 70% cases,” he said.