Obesity is a prevalent medical condition affecting both children and adults, leading to various health complications. Prevention is key, but when weight gain becomes an issue, effective intervention is necessary. Tower Health offers a range of weight loss programs, including the Healthy Kids and Teens Weight Program at Reading Hospital, designed to address obesity and its related health problems.
Understanding Obesity
Obesity in children and adolescents is a common medical disease that can lead to other diseases including diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, liver disease, and bone and joint abnormalities. Obesity may also contribute to depression and social issues such as bullying and missing school. Usually, this continues into adulthood and is likely to contribute to increased risk of heart disease and cancer and a shorter life span. There are many causes, but few effective solutions. At a higher risk for health problems, overweight children are also prone to low self-esteem and depression.
The Healthy Kids and Teens Weight Program
The Healthy Kids and Teens Weight Program at Reading Hospital is dedicated to the success of each child. The team includes Pediatricians, Registered Dietitians, Social Workers, Nurse Practitioners, Psychologists, Pediatric Nurses, and Surgeons.
Treatment Options
Lifestyle Changes
Diet, exercise, and behavior changes are important and can work for some and may help a person to lose five percent of their weight, but ultimately it is difficult to maintain. Generally, diet and exercise are not enough for ninety-five percent of children and adolescents struggling with weight. More than ninety percent of the individuals that come to the Healthy Kids and Teens program for care are treated with lifestyle changes -- with or without the assistance of anti-obesity medicines.
Medication-Based Therapy
In addition to diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes, anti-obesity medications can be included to help children and teens decrease their weight. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends anti-obesity medications for some children twelve and older struggling with weight. Some medications may be taken by mouth each day. Another option is to receive a weekly injection at home. These medications decrease appetite and food cravings. The medications must be continued, or the weight is likely to recur. Most patients tolerate the medications well, but potential side effects are possible and will be discussed with you by the pediatrician. A person could expect to lose around thirty pounds with the help of anti-obesity medications.
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Weight-Loss Surgery
However, for some teens over thirteen with more severe weight gain, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends weight loss surgery as a possible best option. In our program, the teen is evaluated by the entire team and only meets with the surgeon if the family expresses interest in learning more about surgery. The teen is seen in our clinic for six visits or more, each one month apart, before they may qualify for surgery. Like all surgery, there is some surgical risk involved although the risk is much lower in adolescents than adults.
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
Previously, the open-generation surgical procedures were done by creating a large incision in the abdomen, which led to increased complications. Today, laparoscopic-generation surgical procedures use five small incisions, each about one half inch long, which reduces complications significantly. Although there are other operations recommended in adults, we believe that the best procedure for adolescents is usually a gastric sleeve.
This operation surgically reduces the size of the stomach from a small watermelon to the size of a banana. This limits the amount of food that can be consumed, as well as reduces the hunger hormone and also reduces food cravings. This is a surgical procedure, not an implant. The operation is usually a gastric sleeve operation that is performed laparoscopically and takes about one hour. The teen usually spends one night in the hospital and is discharged to home the following day. They can return to school or work in two weeks. In our program these individuals lose an average of one hundred pounds and resolve many of their obesity related medical problems such as diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
Advantages of Gastric Sleeve
Advantages of the gastric sleeve procedure is that the intestine is not re-routed, thus eliminating malabsorption. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are less likely to occur than with other weight loss operations. However, we still recommend some supplemental vitamins and minerals following this operation. There are also lower short-term and long-term risks. Gastric sleeve surgery in adolescents usually resolves diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. A disadvantage is that some patients may experience acid reflux. If this occurs, it can be treated with acid-reducing medications.
Risks of Gastric Sleeve
All surgical procedures carry risks. Fortunately, adolescents usually have fewer medical problems compared to adults and, therefore, have lower risks of complications. Your surgeon will discuss these risks with you at your surgical consult. Only one of one hundred patients will have anything on this list: leak from staple line, bleeding, infection, blood clot, readmission, or a required return to the operating room. That means that ninety-nine of one hundred adolescents that have a gastric sleeve operation will not have a significant complication. The overall risk of a teen having a serious complication is only about 1%.
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Specific risks include:
- Staple line leak - 0.11%
- Bleeding - 0.43%
- Infection - 0.13%
- Blood clot - 0.1%
- Readmission - 2.68%
- Reoperation - 0.5%
The Bariatric Surgery Journey at Tower Health
If you are ready to commit to bariatric surgery - and a whole new lifestyle - then it is time to take the first step and request a consultation with the weight-loss team at Tower Health. Although our pre-operative process can take several months, it is an important part of your weight-loss journey.
The process includes:
- Consultations: You will meet at least once a month with team members such as our program coordinator, a dietitian, and your surgeon.
- Education: Through one or more live or virtual seminars, you will learn the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery.
- Insurance verification.
- Medical testing: You will need to have one or more tests to confirm whether you have certain medical conditions, to make sure you can safely have surgery, and to make sure you are psychologically ready to change your lifestyle.
- Scheduling.
After bariatric surgery, the types and amounts of foods you can eat changes drastically. Together, you and your dietitian will create restricted-calorie meal plans that provide the nutrition you need while meeting your weight-loss goals. We will make sure you understand what to expect immediately after surgery, including how soon you can safely resume physical activity and begin eating solid foods.
Reading Hospital: A Center of Excellence
Reading Hospital Weight Loss Surgery and Wellness Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), in partnership with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Our program is one of only a handful of programs in the nation with triple accreditation as a Comprehensive Center with Adolescent and Obesity Medicine Qualifications. Reading Hospital is a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery. Blue Distinction Centers provide a full range of bariatric surgery care; including surgical care, post-operative care, outpatient follow-up care and patient education. These Centers have lower complication rates and fewer readmissions.
Bariatric Surgery Volume and Outcomes at Reading Hospital (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024)
Surgical Volume:
- Sleeve Gastrectomy - 930
- Gastric Bypass - 111
- Duodenal Switch/Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch - 151
Surgical Outcomes (% of surgical patients with occurrence):
| Sleeve Gastrectomy | Gastric Bypass | DS/SIPS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leak of intestine or stomach at stapled area | 0% | 0% | 3.3% |
| Wound infection or problem | 0.1% | 0% | 3.3% |
| Pulmonary embolus (blood clot in lungs) | 0.2% | 0% | 0% |
| Bleeding (requiring transfusion within 72 hours of surgery) | 0% | 1.8% | 0% |
| Related readmission | 1.5% | 9% | 10.6% |
| Related reoperation (second operation) | 0% | 0.9% | 3.3% |
| Death | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Getting Started
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is hard. If losing weight was easy, far fewer people would struggle with obesity. If you or your child are ready to lose weight and want to learn more about your options, give us a call today: 484-628-5673. Our program coordinator will set up a time to go over your medical history and weight loss goals. Considering Bariatric Surgery? Watch our weight loss seminar. In this video, our bariatric surgeons explain how they determine if you’re a candidate for surgery and outline the risks and benefits of each procedure. You will also learn how to fill out a secure online form that allows you to request a bariatric surgery consultation.