News, Blog, Article on treatment, surgery and more

May 23 Comments Off

A Show of Confidence – From Difficulty In Walking To Walking The Ramp

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Obesity is one of the biggest diseases of our times. The damage it incurs on individual health, quality of life and on economy is huge. The treatment of obesity is difficult. Dieting and physical activity is frequently ineffective in its management.

In such a grim scenario, the dramatic success of bariatric surgery has brought some hope for millions of obese patients in the world who are struggling with their weight, obesity, arthritis, Infertility, etc.

However, there is lack of awareness regarding this treatment strategy (bariatric surgery) in our society. There is also scepticism and misconceptions amongst many – one such being that patients become weak after surgery. Frequently, many patients do not reveal their bariatric status for the fear of prejudice and discrimination.

To dispel this misconception and encourage patients to come forward with their identity, a fashion show was conceptualised by Dr Sarfaraz J Baig, Bariatric Surgeon, Belle Vue Clinic, where his patients who have undergone bariatric surgery walked the ramp with models and members of the Calcutta Swimming Club.

For people who once had difficulty in walking because of their excess weight, the walk on the ramp in front of a large audience and special guests such as Agnimitra Paul and Rachna Banerjee was a supreme demonstration of their confidence. They send out the social message that a healthy body is the best fashion statement. And Bariatric surgery gives a second chance of health to many obese people.

Agnimitra Paul, eminent fashion designer and Rachna Banerjee, eminent Tollywood actress graced this occasion and lauded the confidence and beauty of the post-surgery participants.

Dr Sarfaraz J Baig said after the event -“Bariatric surgery has now become a mainstream surgery. It gives obese patients struggling with their excess weight, diabetes, arthritis a second chance in life. There is a considerable need to spread the awareness of this surgery and dispel misperceptions regarding it.”

Feb 02 Comments Off

Laparoscopic Surgery is Advantageous in Colon Cancer Patients

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Colon cancer are among’st those cancers that fare better than the other abdominal cancers. The mainstay therapy is surgical removal of the tumor.

Conventionally the operation is done by making a large incision on the abdomen. This means more pain, prolonged hospital stay, higher chance of wound infection and hernia.

In the last decade, colon cancer surgery is increasingly performed by laparoscopic technique – operation done by making tiny holes in the abdomen. This implies less pain, faster recovery and less chance of wound infection and hernia.

There are reports that the chances of making a stoma – an artificial anus in the abdomen- is less when surgery for rectal cancer is done laparoscopically than when done by conventional technique.

There were some concerns regarding inadequate cancer surgery earlier but modern research has dispelled those fears.

Encouraged by the success of laparoscopic technique in colon cancers, the technique has been expanded to include other cancers such as in the stomach, esophagus and pancreas.

Jan 19 Comments Off

Arthritis, Obesity and Bariatric Surgery

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Obese people frequently have knee pain that makes walking painful. This is more common with advancing age. It prevents them from walking, playing sports and enjoying vacations.

Some patients may benefit from medicines and physiotherapy and some may need joint replacement. However, weight loss remains the most important measure for long term relief.

If patients cannot lose weight through dieting, they can be offered bariatric surgery. Even the orthopedicians are recommending it these days.

After bariatric surgery, not only the patients lose significant weight, they start leading an active life because their knee pain is relieved dramatically. Those with diabetes, blood pressure and sleep apnea also have relief from these diseases.

Because of its diverse benefits, bariatric surgery is increasingly becoming popular amongst obese patients with arthritis even in the elderly age group!

Jan 14 Comments Off

Heartburns? A Laparoscopic Surgery Can Give Permanent Relief!

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

1. Heartburns can be a source of great discomfort. Typically, it is brought on by eating spicy food. Many patients also have regurgitation of food from the stomach to the gullet and sometimes mouth. This can be aggravated at night. If left untreated, this may lead to cancer of the food pipe.

2. Many patients can benefit from medicines but in certain situations surgery is the better option:

A. Those who have hiatus hernia (big gap in the partition between chest and abdomen making the stomach enter the chest)
B. Those who want to avoid taking the pills lifelong
C. When medicines are not working
D. Where reflux is causing very distressing

3. Surgery for heartburns and regurgitation (Fundoplication) can be done laparoscopically; hence, it is almost painless, needs one day hospital stay and patients can return to work within 3-5 days.

Jan 06 Comments Off

Snoring, Obesity and How Bariatric Surgery Helps?

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Most people would like to dismiss their snoring as a normal phenomenon during sleep. They feel it’s the spouses who are the only one affected.

Wrong!

Snoring can be a sign of a bad disease called OSA – Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It is characterized by fatigue, day-time sleepiness and frequent disturbance of sleep at night. It is a dangerous disease since it produces lack of oxygen and accumulation of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), leading to heart disease and high blood pressure in the long run. Patients with untreated OSA commonly suffer with heart attacks and strokes that have a high fatality.

OSA has a strong association with obesity. Hence the treatment of OSA targets the weight of a person.

In dedicated centers treating OSA, like ours, the following policy is adopted:

If patient is mildly obese (BMI < 35) then treatment comprises of CPAP machine (a device that is applied in the nose and mouth to deliver oxygen during night) or an ENT surgery.

If the patient is moderately or severely obese (BMI > 35), bariatric surgery is strongly recommended.

Bariatric surgery produces dramatic improvement in OSA. Within days of surgery, patients have tremendous benefits in many ways, which are listed as follows:

They sleep better with less awakening in the night.
Snoring is gone, much to the relief of their spouse.
They feel fresh when they wake up in the morning.
The blood pressure is improved.

Because of these reasons, bariatric surgery has become popular for obese patients with OSA throughout the world!

Jun 13 Comments Off

The Secret of Good Hernia Repair

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Hernias are defects in the abdominal wall because of which organs from within the abdomen tend to come out just below the skin. More than a million patients a year undergo surgery for some kind of hernia.

About 80% are so-called inguinal hernias in the groin area. The rest is in the anterior abdominal wall.

The common causes of hernia are:

Hereditary or linked to weakness in the abdominal wall that may happen at birth when the abdomen lining doesn’t close properly.
Pregnancy
Trauma
Previous surgical incisions.

Hernias don’t go away on their own and tend to get larger and more difficult to repair with time. Worst-case scenario – they become stuck in the groin and cut off the blood supply to the intestine, a potentially life-threatening emergency.

So even if the hernia is not giving you trouble today, it may do so tomorrow. It’s always better to deal with hernias when they are not complicated for best results.

Patients need a surgery to fix their hernia defect. The most common principle of hernia repair is to plug the defect with a mesh (an artificial sheet that mimics human tissue). The can be done by conventional or laparoscopic technique. Of course the laparoscopic technique allows faster recovery and less wound complications. There is also less likelihood of chronic pain.

The cost of surgery is highly dependent on the mesh used. A good mesh may cost anywhere between Rs 25,000 to a Lakh. Although this may sound too much it is true that the comfort level (pain, mobility, etc) with these meshes are better than the cheaper ones.

A hernia repair is good only if it does not fail over time, is painless and does not interfere in the daily movements of the abdomen.

Spending on a good mesh, therefore, for hernia surgery should not be seen as an expenditure but as an investment!

There are two scenarios where this strategy may need different approach, which are as follows:

Patients with Large Hernia Defects

In the event of a large defect, a mesh plug alone may not be the ideal form of defect repair. Instead the closure of the defect by the patient’s own local muscles along with mesh closure may be the ideal method to ensure not only organ protection but also restoration of abdominal wall. Otherwise, there is a chance of failure and deficient abdominal wall movement.

Obese Patients

We must also appreciate that if the patient is obese, there is high abdominal pressure that may not allow the mesh to stay in place. Thus, a patient will see the failure of surgery and the possibility of second surgery. These patients should be operated only after weight loss. This may mean dieting or bariatric surgery (laparoscopic solution for obesity).

It is for the above reasons that we have started evaluating thoroughly what will work best for the patient. A single surgery is not the answer to all hernias! We adopt different surgery for different patients. We have operated patients who had surgery multiple times but their hernia repair failed. The secret to good hernia repair is evaluating each patient individually and adopting a different approach.

To ensure taking the right decision, patients need to get well informed before undertaking the hernia surgery. I hope this article helps the reader to do the same.