Report: Bigger risks from stomach surgery

New U.S. studies say stomach surgeries pose bigger risks including death than had been previously thought.

The studies say patients face a far greater chance of being hospitalized and dying after the surgeries, which are growing in popularity.

The procedure known as bariatric surgery is done to help obese people lose weight by reducing the size of their stomachs.

One of the studies, appearing in the Oct. 19 issue of JAMA, says the risk of death is higher among men and older patients.

Among the findings, an analysis of more than 60,000 California surgery patients found they were twice as likely to need hospitalization than earlier believed.

A study of federal data from 16,000 patients nationwide also found the chance of dying after being released from the hospital was significantly higher than earlier indicated.

"Patients really need to go into this with their eyes open. This can be a high-risk operation," said David R. Flum of the University of Washington at Seattle, who led the nationwide study.

Separately, the Washington Post reported supporters of the procedure feel the benefits still surpass the risks for many patients.

© Copyright 2005 by United Press International