OTL

Gastric Bands Dangerous for Teenagers?

The growing market for treatments targeted towards obesity has led some medical professionals to question the long-term effects of gastric band surgery on teenagers.

Dr. Neelu Pal, a surgical resident at New York University’s Medical Center, lost her job after warning teenage patients about the risks of gastric band surgery. Pal saw one patient die, with others having serious complications after receiving gastric bands. Two married surgeons at the center, Dr. Christine Ren and Dr. George Fielding, were implanting gastric bands into teenagers as many as twenty times per day. They are also paid consultants for the gastric band manufacturer Allergan.

Pal’s allegations were partially corroborated by an investigation by the New York State Health Department. More horror stories such as these, with dead or severely injured patients, may come forward if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows gastric band surgery to be approved for teenagers as young as fourteen. Allergan, the gastric band manufacturer with questionable links to Ren and Fielding, has applied with the FDA to approve its gastric bands on young teenagers.

“Bands are definitely safe in the short term and definitely work in the short term,” Dr Mary Brandt, director of pediatric surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, told Reuters. “What we don’t know is about the long term. I’m not saying it should never be used. We just have to be more careful about how we’re using it.”

Allergan has thus far refused public comment on Pal’s disturbing allegations, but confirmed that Ren and Fielding remain on the Allergan payroll as consultants.

Gastric Bands Dangerous for Teenagers?