Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
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A 1991 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference concluded that severely obese adults could be eligible for bariatric surgery if they had a body mass index (BMI) > or =35 kg/m(2) with or > or =40 kg/m(2) without obesity comorbidity. It was thought at that time that there were inadequate data to support bariatric surgery in severely obese adolescents. An estimated 25% of children in the United States are obese, a number that has doubled over a 30-year period. ⋯ Severe obesity is increasing rapidly in adolescents and is associated with significant comorbidity and social stigmatization. Bariatric surgery in adolescents is safe and is associated with significant weight loss, correction of obesity comorbidity, and improved self-image and socialization. These data strongly support obesity surgery for those unfortunate individuals who may have difficulty obtaining insurance coverage based on the 1991 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference statement.
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Jan 2003
Intestinal hypoperfusion contributes to gut barrier failure in severe acute pancreatitis.
Intestinal barrier failure and subsequent bacterial translocation have been implicated in the development of organ dysfunction and septic complications associated with severe acute pancreatitis. Splanchnic hypoperfusion and ischemia/reperfusion injury have been postulated as a cause of increased intestinal permeability. The urinary concentration of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (IFABP) has been shown to be a sensitive marker of intestinal ischemia, with increased levels being associated with ischemia/reperfusion. ⋯ Furthermore, the control group had significantly lower IFABP-c (median 37 pg/ml; P = 0.029) and IFABP-t (median 0.06 microg; P = 0.005) than patients with mild attacks. IFABP correlated positively with the polyethylene glycol 3350 percentage retrieval (r = 0.50; P < 0.001), CRP (r = 0.51; P < 0.001), and inversely with serum IgM EndoCAb levels (r = -0.32; P = 0.02). The results of this study support the hypothesis that splanchnic hypoperfusion contributes to the loss of intestinal mucosal integrity associated with a severe attack of pancreatitis.