HUMC led N.J. in fight on obesity
Thursday, May 3, 2007
By MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
Hackensack University Medical Center overwhelmingly led the state in the number of obesity surgeries performed in 2005 with 925.
Statewide, the number of procedures is leveling off after years of rapid growth, said Health Commissioner Fred Jacobs, who underwent gastric bypass surgery in December.
Combined with Morristown Memorial Hospital, which performed 620 procedures in 2005, the two hospitals treated more than one-third of the 4,451 patients who had the weight-loss surgery in 2005, the last year for which data are available.
The hospital-by-hospital data on bariatric surgery released Wednesday revealed that patients opting for the surgery should select high-volume hospitals and surgeons. They report the best outcomes -- fewer complications, re-admissions and mortalities.
For instance, Hackensack's complication rate was 7.1 percent. Low-volume Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood led the state with a complication rate of 59.3 percent. St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center reported the highest 30-day mortality rate, 4.17 percent.
"There is always a potential for complications to arise when undergoing surgery, but bariatric surgical patients in particular are higher risk," Pascack Valley officials said in a statement.
Women accounted for 79 percent of procedures and children as young as 15 opted for surgery to shed unhealthy extra pounds. Fifty-six surgeries were performed in New Jersey on teens ages 15 to 19.
"The department has created this report and has made it public so that New Jersey residents considering such care can determine if the risks and benefits are right for them," Jacobs said.
Jacobs lost 78 pounds after surgeons reduced the capacity of his stomach to 2 ounces.
"I feel great," he said.
"I don't recommend this to people casually or some people at all because it changes your life forever," he said.
He can consume only very small meals, but has cut his risk for many of the health complications that plague obese people, including diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.
Jacobs underwent the surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, where he had previous surgery to repair a hiatal hernia -- a condition in which the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity. It was recommended that he return to the same surgical group for the bypass surgery because of the prior stomach surgery, he said.
"I would have gone to St. Barnabas, which is right around the corner from me," said Jacobs, a resident of Short Hills. "Pa- tients in New Jersey are in excellent hands, especially at high-volume hospitals."
Bariatric surgery options include procedures to reroute the digestive system and newer techniques such as gastric banding, in which an adjustable silicon band is placed around the upper stomach to restrict capacity.
The full report is available at the state's Web site: state.nj.us/health.
Obesity Surgery
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