New National Patient and Surgeon Surveys Show Post-Surgical Care Critical to Optimal Weight Loss After Bariatr...( Compliant Patients Lose 35% More ...),Health

Compliant Patients Lose 35% More Weight and Have Better Quality of Life,

Surgeons View Follow-Up Care as Important as Surgery Itself

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Those patients who were most compliant with surgeon recommendations after bariatric surgery lost 35 percent more weight the first year and tend to keep more weight off even after five years, according to new patient and bariatric surgeon surveys conducted by Harris Interactive(R), for the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

The survey of 208 gastric bypass patients and 201 gastric band patients found that on average compliant patients lost more than 123 pounds the first year, while the less compliant lost 92 pounds. At the five year mark, compliant bariatric surgery patients lost more than 127 pounds while less compliant patients lost 100 pounds. Bariatric surgeons also place a high value on follow-up care programs. In a separate survey of 282 bariatric surgeons, 94 percent said follow-up care is just as or even more important to successful outcomes than the surgery itself. Both surveys were sponsored by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.

"While surgeons have always understood the importance of follow-up care, this survey helps quantify how much of a difference it really makes," said Scott Shikora, MD, ASMBS President and Chief of General Surgery, Bariatric Surgery and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. "Compliance can mean the difference between a good result and a great result."

Surgeons typically recommend post-surgical activities including regular exercise, nutritional counseling, maintaining a food diary, psychological counseling, diet modification, keeping doctor's appointments and participation in support groups. However, 66 percent of surgeons believe there is no consensus on what constitutes bariatric surgery follow-up care. About half (48%) say they did not receive bariatric surgery follow-up care ed
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