#bariatric — Public Fediverse posts

FTTDK: I had bariatric surgery 5 weeks ago and got some bad complications. 2 weeks in hospital, 2 weeks of intense recovery at home. Last week was better.

I'm documenting this more on my FB feed because it's for my fam and old friends, but I would post here if there's interest.

#bariatric #weightloss #bariatricsurgery

#Wegovy®, #Zepbound®, and similar medications continue to gain attention for effectively treating #obesity, and now there is discussion—with research underway—about their potential for improving certain #surgical outcomes.

The brand-name medications mentioned above belong to a class called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) agonists. #GLP-1s mimic the actions of the GLP-1 hormone, which is secreted in the gut and sends an “I’m full” signal to the brain after you eat.

GLP-1 medications aren’t new. @Ozempic® (generic name: #semaglutide) received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat type 2 diabetes in 2017.

After its weight-loss effects were studied, semaglutide (at a higher dose and sold under the name Wegovy) was approved by the FDA as an anti-obesity medication in 2021, and others have since followed.

Most recently, the FDA approved Wegovy for patients with #cardiovascular #disease and obesity or overweight after a study showed that those taking the medication had a lower overall risk of major cardiac events, such as heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular-related death.

Now, some Yale Medicine surgeons believe, based on their ongoing research, that taking anti-obesity medications before and sometimes after total #joint #replacement and #bariatric #surgery can be beneficial.

“These medications have been transformative, in terms of expanding the pool of people who can safely undergo joint replacement surgery,” says Daniel Wiznia, MD, a Yale Medicine orthopaedic surgeon and co-director of the Avascular Necrosis Program.

“These anti-obesity medications are game-changers; they are changing the way people practice medicine.”

Often, patients who need a total hip or knee replacement must delay surgery until they lose enough weight to meet specific body mass index ( #BMI ) standards.
This is important in protecting the patient’s health.

“Weight increases a patient’s risk of postoperative complications, including wound-healing problems, stroke, heart attack, blood clots, and infection,” he says.

However, having patients take a GLP-1 medication before surgery, as well as improving their diet, has allowed more patients to reach a safe preoperative BMI, Dr. Wiznia says.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/anti-obesity-medications-before-surgery