• The 67-year-old patient of short stature had double his ideal weight and suffered from a range of health problems, including difficulty in walking and breathing.
• Surgery was considered a very high-risk option and many hospitals in Bengaluru turned away the patient.
• At Vikram Hospital, the surgeons successfully performed the surgery, with the patient managing to walk just three hours after the procedure.

BENGALURU / February 14, 2021: A very challenging and risky Bariatric surgery conducted by surgeons of Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru, has given a new lease of life to a 67-year-old patient of short stature who was suffering from morbid obesity. Weighing 77 kg, the patient Shekhar Krishnan had double his ideal weight, resulting in a BMI of 39 due to his short height of just 137 cm (4 feet 5 inches).

The condition led to several cardiac and pulmonary problems, knee pain, obstructive sleep apnea, elevated creatinine levels, and breathing difficulties as the fat burden pushed against his diaphragm. All efforts on the patient’s part to reduce his weight were in vain, and he found it difficult to conduct day to day activities due to the high visceral fat.

Said Dr. G Moinoddin, Consultant Bariatric & Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru: “The patient was suffering from morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome since the last five years, leading to serious health issues. He was unable to sleep properly and even sit or stand. Walking just a few steps left him gasping for breath. Surgery was the only option to improve the patient’s quality of life and get relief from other comorbidities, but this was considered very risky due to his cardio-pulmonary condition. The patient was turned away by many hospitals in the city. If left untreated, the condition would have eventually led to cardiac arrest and death.”

The bariatric surgery conducted by Dr. G Moinoddin and his team was uneventful and lasted less than half an hour. Said Dr. Satish Thammanna, Consultant Anaesthesiologist, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru: “The patient was able to walk just three hours after surgery. In less than a week since being operated upon, he has already lost five kilos. His walking has become better and shortness of breath has reduced. He is expected to lose another 30 to 35 kgs in the coming 8 to 10 months, bringing his BMI back to normal range. He will then be able to lead a normal life.”

Dr. Somesh Mittal, MD & CEO, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru said, “We are quite elated at the successful outcome of the surgery because this is the first-ever case of its kind in Bengaluru. The patient was quite short in height, which posed a challenge for anesthesiology. Yet our doctors managed to achieve this remarkable feat when other hospitals turned away the patient due to the high risks involved. Our hospital is fully equipped and capable of carrying out such kind of challenging surgeries.”

About Vikram Hospital:

Vikram Hospital Bengaluru is a quaternary care, multi-specialty hospital. It provides high-quality care in all clinical disciplines and has outstanding capabilities in Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Neurology, Neuro Surgery, Stroke and Epilepsy, Orthopaedic and Trauma Care, Spine Surgery, Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary, Nephrology, Urology, Critical Care, Pulmonology, Endocrinology, Maxillofacial, ENT, Plastic Surgery, Medical and Surgical Oncology, Gynaecology, Cosmetology, Dental and Dermatology. Vikram Hospital’s world-class medical care and expertise have delivered excellent clinical outcomes. The hospital offers comprehensive services in a compassionate and caring environment.

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India, November 24, 2020: Practo, an integrated healthcare company, witnessed a staggering increase of 550% in the number of obesity-related queries since last year. This indicates growing awareness about the disease among people and an increase in the knowledge of treatments like bariatric and diets that are related to obesity. The top searched queries give an understanding of how people are aware and concerned of problems like BMI levels, bariatric surgery and the various diets that came into the limelight over the past two years.

According to the Practo Health Insights (Nov 2019 – Oct 2020),

• Online consultation witnessed a 550% increase from last year in the number of queries for obesity, as compared with 30% the year before

• 70% of all diabetes-related consultation requests came from men

• 66% of the consultations were from the age group of 21-30, followed by people in the bracket of 31-40 (28%), 41-50 (3%), 51-60 (2%), and those aged 60 and  above (1%).

• 65% of all the diabetes-related queries came from metro cities, while 35% were from non-metro cities

• Most of the queries were from Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Chennai

• In non-metro cities, most of the queries came from Lucknow, Jaipur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Indore, Vijayawada, Nagpur, Guwahati and Ranchi

• Top searches include obesity symptoms and causes, weight loss, fat loss, diet management, childhood obesity, COVID-19 and obesity and bariatric treatment.

Dr. Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, said, “Obesity entails major risk in terms of exposing the patient to life-threatening conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, infertility, and most often than not affects the individual’s mental and physical well-being. Maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and taking a conscious effort to maintain  healthy living will go a long way in the fight against obesity. Timely intervention will help control the condition from becoming unmanageable and posing further threats, especially in cases of childhood obesity. Digital healthcare has over the years helped in creating awareness about obesity-related treatments, including bariatric surgeries and various techniques in terms of diet and nutrition. ”

COVID-19 and obesity was one of the most discussed concerns in the last six months after several reports hinted at a correlation between the two. It was indicated that people with obesity are more likely to have other diseases that are independent risk factors for severe COVID-19, including heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes than normal-weight people. Another topic that gained a lot of attention during this period was childhood obesity, considering the fact that the lockdown has also negatively impacted diet, sleep and physical activity among children with obesity.

Dr. Amit D Goswami, a bariatric surgeon with 22 years of experience, who consults on Practo said, “Obesity is a disease, a multi-system disease actually, as it can involve all the systems of our body. Besides being functionally compromised, there are multiple morbidities that have this common causative factor. Diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), daytime somnolence or obstructive sleep apnoea, arthritis, infertility to name a few. Hence, it becomes important for people to check their BMI (Body Mass Index) and decide if they need any medical intervention. Obesity can be controlled with lifestyle modifications and non-surgical means at the initial stage. However, after a certain stage , surgery (bariatric/weight loss surgery) is the only resort. People can consult doctors via telemedicine at the initial stage and decide on the next course of treatment for themselves.”

The World Health Organization states that at least 2.8 million adults die every year due to being  being overweight or obese. In addition to that, 44% of diabetes cases, 23% of ischaemic heart diseases and 7-41% of certain instances of cancer are attributable to overweight and obesity. It is interesting to note that India has more numbers of obese people than those  who are underweight. Reports predict a considerable rise in the number of overweight and obese people in India by 2040. It is particularly pointed out that there will be a substantial increase in obesity-related problems among rural populace and the elderly.

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