Bariatric Surgery News and Research

Latest Bariatric Surgery News and Research

Kentucky, Virginia LapBand centers install Crospon's EndoFLIP system

Crospon, an Irish medical device developer based in Galway, has announced that its EndoFLIP system is now being used in two leading LapBand centers in Kentucky and Virginia.

19 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Arizona's waiver; next gen's 'different' Medicare?; individual mandate's constitutionality

There may be no federal obstacles to cutting 250,000 people out of AHCCCS, part of Gov. Jan Brewer's budget proposal. But there are compelling reasons to avoid such a drastic step if at all possible. And it's possible.

17 Feb 2011

Allergan receives FDA approval for expanded use of LAP-BAND System in obese adults

Allergan, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of the LAP-BAND System, Allergan's gastric band, for adults with obesity who have failed more conservative weight reduction alternatives, such as diet and exercise and pharmacotherapy, and have a Body Mass Index of 30-40 and at least one obesity related comorbid condition.

16 Feb 2011

New clinical trial to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes

A new clinical trial at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is among the first to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study is to understand whether surgery can control diabetes, as well or even better than the best medical treatment available today. This is the first study of its kind open to patients who are overweight or mildly obese.

14 Feb 2011

New trial tests surgery for Type 2 diabetes

11 Feb 2011

Gastric bypass surgery good for the heart in obese: Study

A new study has found that gastric bypass surgery, besides enabling severely obese people to lose weight, may also help their overly stressed hearts return to more normal function and appearance. The study appeared in the Feb. 8 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

7 Feb 2011

ASBP raises concern over FDA recommendations to lower BMI requirements for lap-band surgery

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) is concerned that the FDA advisory panel recommended lowering the BMI requirement for lap-band surgery, while the FDA recently denied two new obesity medications. Bariatric surgery is drastic and expensive and carries higher morbidity and mortality risks than lifestyle interventions or medication. Patients who could have otherwise lost weight in a non-surgical medical bariatric program may now be encouraged to skip medical therapy and jump directly to surgery.

7 Jan 2011

Positive topline results from ZGN-433 Phase 1b study in obesity patients

Zafgen, a pharmaceutical company pioneering novel obesity therapeutics to help the body regain and sustain a lean, healthy state by targeting imbalances in fat metabolism, today announced positive topline results from its Phase 1b study of ZGN-433, a methionine aminopeptidase 2 inhibitor, for the treatment of severe obesity.

6 Jan 2011

FDA grants marketing clearance to Crospon's EndoFLIP product

Crospon, an Irish medical device developer based in Galway, has announced that the Company has received clearance from the US Food and Drugs Administration to market a new imaging catheter for the measurement of sleeves created during bariatric surgery.

6 Jan 2011

MedCath completes sale of TexSan Heart Hospital to Methodist Healthcare System

MedCath Corporation announced today the completion of the sale of substantially all the assets of TexSan Heart Hospital, owned by MedCath and its physician investors, to Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio. The transaction, which was announced in November, and was subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory requirements, was completed effective December 31, 2010.

3 Jan 2011

Study links large waistline to increased risk of heart problems and type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Strelitz Diabetes Center and the school’s department of physiological sciences have published research showing a strong link between a large waistline and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

14 Dec 2010

FDA advisory committee's approval of Contrave for obesity encourages OAC, TOS, ASMBS

The Obesity Action Coalition, The Obesity Society and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery found encouragement in the outcome of today's advisory committee hearing, favoring approval for the first new obesity treatment in more than 10 years.

8 Dec 2010

Weight loss surgery ‘sky rockets’ in Australia

According to a new survey nearly ten times more people are resorting to weight loss surgeries in Australia over the past 10 years. In Australia one in five adults are now classified as being obese and this trend shows that public health messages about diet and exercise are not working.

18 Nov 2010

Bariatric surgery improves disease symptoms in obese heart failure patients

A small Mayo Clinic study has found that morbidly obese heart failure patients who undergo bariatric surgery gain long-lasting and meaningful improvements in disease symptoms and quality of life. The results were presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010 in Chicago.

15 Nov 2010

FDA grants SEDASYS System appeal

Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (EES) today announced that the Commissioner's Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the appeal of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health's (CDRH) denial of the SEDASYS System Premarket Approval Application (PMA). As a result, a new Independent Advisory Panel will be appointed to reconsider the SEDASYS System clinical trial data and application.

11 Nov 2010

Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital offers incisionless TOGA Procedure for treatment of obesity

Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital announced today that it will be the first hospital in the UK to offer the incisionless TOGA® Procedure for treatment of obesity commencing in January 2011. The TOGA Procedure has been used to treat over 450 patients worldwide - its incision-free approach is very minimally invasive and offers the benefits of minimal pain and downtime, and an excellent safety profile.

10 Nov 2010

Adolescent obesity associated with risk of severe obesity in adulthood

Obese adolescents are 16 times more likely to become severely obese by age 30 than their healthy weight or even overweight peers, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

10 Nov 2010

Biologic grafts are increasingly being used to repair complex hernias

Surgical residents in their final years of surgical training learned the latest techniques in using biologic grafts to treat hernias in a workshop led by the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and sponsored through an educational grant from Cook Medical.

9 Nov 2010

MedCath to sell Texsan Heart Hospital

MedCath Corporation announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell substantially all the assets of Texsan Heart Hospital, owned by MedCath and its physician investors, to Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio. The transaction is expected to close during MedCath's second fiscal quarter of 2011, which ends March 31, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

8 Nov 2010

Hospitals in Florida, New York try new ways to boost finances

Jackson Health System in Florida is trying to boost profitable services but faces one overwhelming challenge, They don't know which procedures make money, The Miami Herald reports.

8 Nov 2010