Obesity surgery
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Swedish adjustable gastric banding (SAGB) is a common weight loss procedure performed worldwide. The exact mechanism by which it achieves appetite suppression, and hence weight loss, is not clear. One possible mechanism is altered meal handling by the post-SAGB stomach. ⋯ There is no evidence of differences in volume-dependent gastric emptying between the normal and post-SAGB stomach. Further investigation of the phenomenon of esophageal retention, and its role in post-SAGB satiety, is warranted.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of noninvasive blood pressure measurement on the wrist with invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
In morbidly obese patients, oscillometric blood pressure measurements with an upper-arm cuff are often difficult to perform. The alternative method, invasive blood pressure monitoring, can be difficult to place and is associated with risks. A wrist-mounted blood pressure-monitoring device, the Vasotrac, provides accurate blood pressure measurements in lean patients. Even in the obese, wrist morphology remains relatively unchanged. We thus assessed the degree to which blood pressure measurements with the Vasotrac on the wrist and cuff measurements agree with invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring. ⋯ The Vasotrac was more comfortable than an oscillometric device. Although the average accuracy was good, individual mean Vasotrac and noninvasive blood pressure pressures often differed considerably from arterial values. These results suggest that the Vasotrac monitor should not be substituted for an arterial catheter in super-obese patients.