Laparoscopic gastric banding in older patients

Hypothesis: Older patients experience the same benefits from a laparoscopic gastric banding (LGB) operation as younger patients. Design: A case series of 320 morbidly obese and superobese patients who und erwent LGB within a 46-month period. Setting: University Hospital Innsbruck, General Surgical Department, Innsbr uck, Austria. Patients: A consecutive sample of 320 patients who met the criteria for a b ariatric procedure and were aged 18 years or older. Patients were divided i nto the following 2 age groups: younger patients (group A, 18-49 years) and older patients (group B, greater than or equal to 50 years). Intervention: Laparoscopic gastric banding with an adjustable gastric band. Main outcome Measures: Clinicopathologic features, including weight loss, c omplications, length of hospital stay, and operative times, were reviewed r etrospectively, and a multivariate analysis was carried out. Results: Of 320 patients, we identified 68 older patients (21.5%, group B). The mean postoperative follow-up period was 12 months (range, 6-28 months) . The average preoperative weight was 127.8 kg (body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters], 44.29). The average total weight loss was 4.3 kg per month for the first 3 months, reaching an average total of 31.0 kg after 1 year. The excess weight loss after 12 months was 68%. Complications requiring reoperation occurred in 10 .3% of patients. Ninety-seven percent of the patients reported an improveme nt in their comorbid conditions. Conclusions: Older patients receive the same benefits from LGB as younger p atients, with an acceptable postoperative complication rate. Presently, our upper age limit is 70 years.