Prof. Mohammad Zarin, the chief surgeon at KTH, stated to Dawn, “Obesity causes high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, high cholesterol, cancer, and arthritis, so it is important to undergo surgery to get rid of it.”
According to him, Pakistan ranked 144 on the Global Obesity Observatory, with 6.26 percent of obese men, 166 percent of obese adult women, 151 percent of obese boys, and 181 percent of obese girls.
Prof. Zarin stated that the KTH had operated on 1,000 patients since 2017—626 men and 374 women—and that only 10% of those patients were moved to the intensive care unit due to minor complications before being moved to the ward within 24 hours.
According to a KTH doctor, obesity necessitates surgery. He said that sleeve gastrectomy, one anastomosis gastric bypass, roux-en-y gastric bypass, and some revision operations were performed.
According to the surgeon, 75-97 percent of patients experienced resolution of associated issues like hypertension, diabetes, joint issues, chest issues, sleep apnea, infertility, and cardiac issues, which was very close to international standards.
He stated that the majority of patients achieved optimal weight loss, and regular monitoring and follow-up with the surgical department of the bariatric team continued.
He stated, “Less than 5% of patients required reoperation for minor complications.”
According to Prof. Zarin, who was assisted by Dr. Imran Marwat and Dr. Shah Zeb and serves as the general secretary of the Pakistan Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons’ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, obese individuals faced serious challenges.
He stated that although obesity had emerged as a significant problem for public health, people had not yet fully benefited from the most recent surgical procedure that had been implemented in public sector hospitals.
According to him, “there are misconceptions that it is unnecessary to undergo bariatric surgery because it can prove to be dangerous and the people can experience obesity again.”
The PSMBS pioneer said that the methodology with impeccable timing empowered patients to remain protected from issues.
He stated that there are currently no effective medications for controlling obesity; however, after five decades of research, medical professionals introduced bariatric surgery, which effectively controlled the condition.
Prof. Zarin, a KTH laparoscopic surgeon, stated that bariatric surgery was safe and that there was no possibility of regaining weight.
He stated, “Regaining weight after surgery is one of the complications of bariatric surgery and can occur in 10-15% of patients; however, these figures can be minimized by selecting the appropriate patient for the appropriate procedure.”
According to the PSMBS office-bearer, obesity or metabolic syndrome was a complex disease that was more than just a problem with appearance. It increased the risk of other issues like diabetes, caused high blood pressure, arthritis, problems with the chest and heart, infertility, and some types of cancer.
He went on to say that because it was surgery to treat a disease, it could have problems just like other surgeries.
Prof Zarin, in any case, said the medical procedure was not perilous whenever done via prepared progressed laparoscopic, mechanical and bariatric specialists in an exceptional wellbeing office having all experts like nutritionist, diabetologist, specialist, pulmonologist, cardiologist and anesthesiologist.
He stated that, in order to help reduce the likelihood of weight regain, complications could be managed scientifically to achieve positive outcomes through regular follow-up and adherence to the diet plan.
