Bariatric risks scare patients

Hyderabad: Hypertension is a risk factor in bariatric surgery as it takes time to come down after the surgery. The  demise of  actor Rakesh Diwana after bariatric surgery in Indore shows that he was hypertensive, which led to complications and his untimely demise.

Bariatric surgeon Dr Venugopal Pareek said, “Hypertension is a condition which takes three to four months to go. If the patient has been on a high dose of drugs, then he needs to  be slowly weaned off as hypertension continues even after  surgery.” These surgeries require team work between cardiologists, endocrinologists etc.

Dr Mahidhar Valeti, head of bariatric surgery, Care Hospitals explained, “Chances of mortality in this surgery is less than one per cent. It is very important that patients choose the right set up for these specialised treatments as it requires a well-trained team for the post-operative care.”

Obesity clinics, which are a part of most super-speciality hospitals in the city, claim that these untoward incidents scare away other patients who are scheduled for surgery. A senior official at a clinic explained, “There are risk factors and these have to be explained to the patients, instead of scaring them. The hospitals too have to ensure that a team of doctors and para-medical staff attend the patient properly to avoid any such untoward incident.