Pediatric bariatric surgery gives obese teens a chance at healthier life

With the obesity rate for children and teens continuing to rise, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a position statement this fall that endorses bartiatric surgery to help these patients lead healthier lives into adulthood.

Dr. Ann O'Connor, director of the Adolescent Bariatric Surgery at Lurie Children's Hospital, began the program nearly four years ago, and performs the procedure at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. The program serves all patients of the Northwern Medicine system, including patients in Kane County.

The program is a multi-disciplinary approach, with nutritionists, psychologists and physical therapists, as well as medical doctors, who take a team approach to help patients keep the weight off and lead healthier lives.

O'Connor said that the bariatric procedure, which is called a sleeve gastronomy, involves removing about 80% of the stomach. She explained that the surgery is done robotically and is minimally invasive, making it very safe for adolescents.

"[The procedure] leaves the stomach about the size of a banana, and it works not only because patients eat less, but there are also metabolic changes after surgery," she said. "It's very effective. I tell my patients they can expect to lose about 60% of their excess body weight, some lose more, others lose less. But it can resolve medical problems. It can cure diabetes and sleep apnea, improve blood pressure and skin problems, and more."

'It's not a blame issue'

The problem of obesity is getting worse, O'Connor said, and is a result of the type of food peope eat, as well as sedentary lifestyles.

She explained that many people aren't educated about the type of healthy food they should be eating. She also said that obesity often runs in families, and is frequently caused by poor metabolisms, which can genetic.

"It's not a blame issue – a lot of times people may not be aware how harmful some food is," she said. "It's faster, cheaper and easier to make choices that aren't the healthiest. But it's not always a matter of calories in, calories out."

Not only are the obesity rates increasing, O'Connor said a more dangerous trend is the increase in the number of morbidly obese patients.

"Close to a quarter of the population is obese, but there is a range of obesity," she said. "People are not only big, but there are more of the bigger patients. The cause is also (multi-faceted.) The disease of obesity, and it is a chronic, life-threatning disease, is not going away. We have to tackle it from all directions."

Teens who are obese also often suffer from depression or other mental health issues, O'Connor said.

"Obese children struggle. They miss school, and the more school missed, the less likelly they are to go to college. They're often bullied at school, so it's a social epidemic," she said.

'A life-saving procedure'

O'Connor has performed about 45 surgeries on adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 in the last four years.

She said that none of her patients have had any serious side effects, and all have lost weight. After the surgery, patients continue to work on making behavioral changes, like becoming more active and avoiding bad eating habits to keep the weight off.

"It's a life-saving procedure, for sure," she explained. "Bariatric surgery has had a bad rap, but this is safe and effecive. When you look at studies, a morbidly obese 15 year-old becomes a morbidly obese adult. There is no advantage to achieve some chronological age before having surgery. The overall benefits outweigh the risks of surgery for these teens. This is a problem for this generation that's here to stay."

For more information, visit the Adolescent Bariatric program's website.