Do bariatric patient's in rural areas achieve comparative weight loss as national average? single center experience in appalachia west virginia.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is one of the leading public health concerns with over half a million Americans being classified as obese and almost two billion classified as overweight. This has an impact on overall health of the individual, with increased comorbidities and premature death, as well as increased economic cost. This study evaluates the weight loss of patients with limited societal support and resources cared for at a single bariatric center of excellence, The Center for Surgical Weight Control, in Cabell County, West Virginia. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients that have undergone either a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) or a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNYGB) between the years of 2017 and 2018 At the Center for Surgical Weight Control. Weight loss was evaluated at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. RESULTS: There were 290 patients between 2017 and 2018. On average, the VSG group lost 46% of excess body weight (EBW) at 6 months, 57% of EBW at 1 year, and 61% of EBW at 2 years. In the RNYGB group patients lost on average 54% of EBW at 6 months, 65% of EBW at 1 year, and 88% of EBW at 2 years. DISCUSSION: A loss of 5-15% of EBW can improve obesity-related comorbidities. These comorbidities include diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and obstructive sleep apnea. Improvement in these comorbidities not only benefits each patient individually, but will also help improve the effects on society as a whole. CONCLUSION: Obesity is a debilitating and deadly disease, thus makes it very important to address in order to reduce burden on both patients and society as a whole. There is an expected amount of weight loss a patient should have depending on the type of surgery they undergo. Our patients were successful at meeting and exceeding the expected percentage of EBW loss after both VSG and RNYGB.

Taking Free Flap Surgery Abroad: A Collaborative Approach to a Complex Surgical Problem.

Accessibility to health care, especially complex surgical care, represents one of the major health care disparities in developing countries. While surgical teams may be willing to travel to these areas to help address these needs, there are many logistical and ethical dilemmas inherent in this pursuit. We reviewed our approach to the establishment of the team-based surgical outreach program, wherein we perform head and neck free tissue transfer surgery in Haiti. We describe the challenges encountered in the delivery of surgical care as well as ethical dilemmas relevant to surgical outreach trips, highlighting an approach reliant on strong local cooperation. Despite the obstacles in place, our experience shows that free flap surgery can be successfully and ethically performed in these areas of great need.