THE number of patients undergoing weight-loss surgery at York Hospital has more than doubled in the past year, new figures show.

The infirmary performed 103 bariatric operations last year, compared with 42 in 2008/09 – an increase of 145 per cent.

A spokesman for NHS North Yorkshire and York primary care trust said the gastric band, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgeries performed at the hospital were not all funded by the trust, but confirmed it spent £584,000 last year on procedures – £278,000 more than the previous year.

The spokesman said bariatric surgery was commissioned only as a last resort on an individual basis by a funding panel, and 59 of the operations carried out in York last year were on patients registered with them.

“Patients can choose to be treated in alternative areas to where they live or there may be clinical reasons for being treated by a consultant at another hospital out of their area,” he said.

“Only 127 bariatric operations were carried out on our patients in 2009/10 that had approval from the trust’s Individual Funding Request Panel, of which 59 were done at York Hospital.” The hospital said it could not comment on what might have caused the rise in numbers.

The trust’s statistics showed a small increase in the number of approvals for bariatric surgeries from 91 patients in 2008/09, to 100 in 2009/10.

A trust spokesman said: “There is very little difference in the number of cases approved by our individual funding panel in the last two years. The big difference in the two sets of figures is the number of bariatric operations actually performed.

“Only 64 out of the 91 approvals were performed in 2008/09, but this may well have been because some patients approved in that year didn’t get the surgery until 2009/10, when 127 in total were performed for patients residing in North Yorkshire and York.”


Stomach surgery is last resort

There are several types of bariatric surgery, for which private practicioners charge from £3,500 to £15,000.

The surgery is a last resort and only an option for patients with a body mass index of 50 or above, or between 45 and 50 who have other health issues, such as diabetes or heart disease.

• Gastric band – A small band is looped around the upper part of the stomach to divide it in two, and create a small pouch. Less food is needed to feel full and the band can be adjusted.

• Gastric bypass – A small pouch is created from the stomach, but is reconnected directly to the small intestine. The patient feels full sooner, and fewer calories are absorbed as the stomach is bypassed.

• Sleeve gastrectomy – An irreversible procedure. The stomach is divided vertically, and cut in size by about 75 per cent. This surgery will only be considered if the patient is at risk from other types of operations, for example if they are very obese.

None of these surgeries is usually recommended for children or young people. Patients may have to wait up to three years for the surgery on the NHS.

Life-threatening complications or death are rare, but side-effects such as wound problems, difficulty in swallowing food, infections and extreme nausea occur in ten to 20 per cent of patients.