Special Clinic Minimize overweight with gastric surgery

Special Clinic: reduce obesity through surgery on the stomach

02/11/2014

In Germany, more and more people are suffering from severe obesity. In the Hessian Offenbach has now opened one of the largest obesity centers in Europe. There people with a body weight up to 400 kilograms can be operated on the stomach to reduce the weight. It should be up to 1,000 operations a year.

More and more people are suffering from severe overweight
More and more people are suffering from severe overweight. According to the Body Mass Index (BMI), about one fifth of the population in Germany has obesity. Obesity has a detrimental effect on many areas of life and is socially an increasing problem due to various side diseases such as diabetes mellitus and joint wear as well as increasing immobility and disability. In the Hessian Offenbach, one of Europe's largest obesity centers has now opened at the Sana-Klinikum.

Up to 1,000 operations a year
The obesity center has been around since the beginning of October. With 26 beds, it is one of the largest in Europe. As the „Frankfurter Rundschau“ (FR) reports that people with up to 400 kilos are being operated on for a weight reduction in the stomach. According to it, it will be up to 1,000 operations a year. The device has been purchased according to the patient. So the huge toilets were flown in from the USA, the chairs are very wide, the surgical instruments extra long and over some of the particularly robust beds floats a ceiling lift. The existing scales are designed for up to 400 kilograms.

Center is an asset to the clinic
According to the Managing Director Sascha John, the transfer of head physician Rudolf Weiner to Sana-Klinikum „We thought about what suits us well.“ The doctor came with a part of his team from the hospital in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen. John said that an adiposity center for a maximum care home would be a useful addition, especially in view of the increasing number of cases. Around one million euros have been invested in the building, including a particularly robust facility and the verification of static.

Patients from different nations treated
The medical director Norbert Rilinger added that thanks to the excellent expertise of Weiner international clientele come to Offenbach. Patients from the USA, Sweden, Moldova and Saudi Arabia have already been treated at the new Obesity Center. Most of the patients are in one before their operation „awful situation“, said Weiner. An obese patient hardly has the chance to lose weight on his own. „The highest weight in life counts forever“, so the expert. „The fat cells are always waiting for replenishment.“ Therefore, the aftercare and nutritional advice are very important for his patients.

Effective control of obesity only through prevention
Other experts point out that obesity is often due to psychological reasons and therefore recommend, among other things, behavioral therapies. For example, stress reduction strategies are being developed, which include physical activity as well as relaxation techniques such as meditation or autogenic training. However, Weiner sees effective prevention of increasing obesity in society only in prevention. „The manufacturer of baby food would actually have to be locked up“, so the chief physician according to FR. The little ones would get used to sweet food early on. Approaches to an effective fight against obesity could be various measures: a three to fourfold level of physical education, no more escalators and fresh cooking every day at home.

Within one year, reduce 80 percent of the overweight
Weiner also criticized: „We operate too late in Germany.“ For example, young patients weighing 120 kilograms would not need plastic surgery after treatment. But older patients with 200 kilos must be removed after losing weight and excess skin. For such cases, the obesity center is also connected to an area for corresponding operations. In most cases, either a part of the stomach is removed for weight loss, so that he can take only tiny amounts, or created a bypass, which directs the food past the stomach. According to Weiner, both methods can reduce up to 80 percent of excess weight within one year. Such procedures are performed minimally invasively through the navel, which has the advantage that the patients, who are usually mobile when arriving at the hospital, are also quickly on their feet again. If patients can no longer come by themselves, they will be taken in by a special vehicle of the fire brigade. (Ad)