Gravitas Surgeon Reveals How Vanessa Feltz's Decision To Have Gastric Band Surgery Overseas Was 'Greeted With Dismay'

August 19, 2010

In an interview with Jenni Murray and Vanessa Feltz broadcast last week on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Gravitas surgeon Professor David Kerrigan described how Feltz’s decision to have her gastric band surgery overseas was greeted with 'utter dismay' by obesity specialists.

Mr Kerrigan, who advised the government on the NICE obesity guidelines used today, said ‘a collective groan’ went up among the UK’s leading bariatric clinics after Vanessa Feltz revealed that she had travelled to Belgium to have her band fitted.

And he urged patients thinking of following her example to proceed with extreme caution.

“Here in the UK, leading bariatric clinics see a constant stream of patients who have had complications following gastric band surgery abroad,” he said. “In most cases, these could have been avoided if only they had received the critical aftercare needed to ensure they received not just a good result, but a safe one.

“Five or six years ago there was a shortage of well-trained gastric band surgeons in the UK so many patients opted to go overseas for treatment. But these days this is simply no longer the case - we have plenty of highly skilled and experienced surgeons here in Britain.

“The only potential advantage of health tourism is that, on the face of it, surgery in Europe would appear to be a bit cheaper. However, once the cost of proper aftercare is added in, the difference between Europe and the UK often amounts to just a few hundred pounds.

“What really worries me is that people who opt for cut price surgery overseas are often unaware of just how important medically supervised aftercare is,” he says. “They rarely receive the post-op support that is so critical for a safe and effective outcome.

“This is particularly vital with gastric bands, which are not a ‘magic cure’, but simply a tool to aid weight loss. Patients need to be shown how to use them properly - and that training needs constant support and reinforcement if they are to get a good, safe result.”

As David Kerrigan points out, buying a gastric band without proper follow-up is ‘a bit like buying a new Ferrari without an engine in it’. “It’s likely to be an extremely expensive and disappointing experience,” he says.

“Patients who live in the UK need to be followed up in the UK, preferably close to where they live and with instant access to the operating surgeon should anything go wrong,” he adds.

“10 to 15% of gastric band patients will eventually run into problems that will require further corrective surgery. You need a team that is willing to be there for you 24/7 in the event of an emergency, not just flying in and out of the country every couple of weeks,” he said.

“Sometimes complications, such as band slippage or erosion, can set in months - or even years - after the operation is performed. If picked up and dealt with promptly, most of these problems can be safely treated by a bariatric surgeon without the risk of losing the band. Do you really want to be hundreds of miles and several hours away from your surgeon if anything goes wrong?

“It’s a question of being able to pick up the phone and talk to someone knowledgeable who can put your mind at rest when you’re not sure that things are going as they should, or get you sorted out quickly without you having to travel for hours to see them if something goes wrong.

“What makes matters worse is that many of those who do run into trouble after overseas band treatment end up in small private clinics or their local NHS A&E department being treated by nurses and doctors who just don’t have the specialist knowledge and training to deal with them.

“By the time you factor in aftercare payments, for less than £1000 patients could get weight loss surgery carried out at some of the best centres in the UK by highly experienced surgeons offering years of free unlimited follow-up close to home at a medical clinic staffed 24 hours a day.”

Other celebrities who have travelled abroad for gastric band surgery include Anne Diamond, who had a gastric band fitted in Belgium.

She described her surgery as an ‘unedifying failure’ because no arrangements had been put in place to provide proper supervision and band adjustments. To make matters worse, the band had also been put in the wrong place and she later had to undergo a second gastric band operation at a private clinic in England.

David Kerrigan is founder and medical director of Gravitas, a pioneering, world class network of committed doctors and surgeons who have helped train many of the UK’s bariatric (weight loss) surgeons (www.gravitas-ltd.co.uk).

You can hear the full interview here: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00t89g8

ENDS

About David Kerrigan

MD with Distinction (1992), FRCS, FRCSEd (1986), MBChB (1982).

Honorary senior lecturer in surgery at the University of Liverpool, Mr Kerrigan practises at the Spire Murrayfield Hospital, Wirral and is amongst the elite of UK bariatric surgeons. Widely respected by both the public and his surgical peers for his technical skill and commitment to uncompromisingly high standards of bariatric care and aftercare, David Kerrigan is a pioneer of laparoscopic (keyhole) bariatric surgery in the UK and has lectured widely on this subject both here and abroad. His work has been featured in numerous television and newspaper reports.

More News