Channel 4 ‘The Hospital’ – Gastric Banding

The episode of “The Hospital” which aired on television on Tuesday 21st April at 9pm focussed on patients who were morbidly obese and were being considered for weight loss surgery (also known as Bariatric Surgery).

It featured Mr Paul Super, a well-known obesity surgeon who specialises in the placement of Gastric Bands (also called Lapband). He was filmed at Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham performing the obesity surgery. The programme followed three patients as they battled with their obesity, having tried endless diets and weight loss pills, until obesity surgery seemed to be the only option left.

Vita Clinics works with Heartlands Hospital (amongst several partner hospitals) to provide a full range of obesity operations to those patients who are eligible for Bariatric Surgery. David Allison, General Manager for Vita Clinics said “Whilst the TV programme helped to raise the profile of this surgery, and showed the desperate needs of people struggling with obesity and having numerous failed diets, it did not feature the full range of obesity operations that should be offered. These include gastric bypass (sometimes called ‘stomach stapling’), sleeve gastrectomy and duodenal switch.”

He added “It is important to note that not all patients will be suitable for gastric banding and indeed for some patients it could be unsafe in the longer term (the band can slip and block the blood supply to the stomach). This can happen when patients don’t follow dietary advice and eat too much, too quickly or the wrong things. Many patients with a sweet tooth or who tend to ‘graze’ will benefit more from a Gastric Bypass.”

It has been proven that the weight loss with a Gastric Bypass operation can be greater than with lapbanding, and co-morbidities (for example type 2 Diabetes) can have a better ‘cure rate’ with bypass than with Gastric Band.

Vita Clinics offers patients the right procedure for them to ensure they get the best chance of long term weight control, combined with the long term support of experts such as Nurse Specialist, Dietician and Psychologist. Whilst it is agreed that gastric banding is an effective operation for some people, it is not the only weight loss operation to consider in the treatment of obesity.

For more information about the treatment options offered by Vita Clinics call 0800 849 4050 and speak with a clinical specialist or visit our enquiry page here.