July 17, 2023 – Singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley died from a “strangulated,” or twisted, small bowel on Jan.12, shocking many followers who had seen her attend the Golden Globe awards ceremony simply days earlier than. The daughter of the late Elvis Presley was 54 years outdated.
The Los Angeles health worker dominated Presley died of pure causes and, in a report issued final week, linked her small bowel obstruction to bariatric surgical procedure she had years earlier. CNN, which first obtained the post-mortem, mentioned it included the official opinion of deputy health worker Juan M. Carrillo, MD, who mentioned the obstruction was brought on by “adhesions (or, scar tissue) that developed after bariatric surgical procedure years in the past. This can be a recognized long-term complication of this kind of surgical procedure.”
Surgical procedure consultants don’t dispute {that a} cutoff of blood provide to her small bowel, also called the small gut, led to her loss of life. However they’re much less sure that inner scarring from earlier weight reduction surgical procedure is responsible.
“It simply does not make precise sense to all of us [surgeons],” mentioned Marina Kurian, MD, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgical procedure. “It seems like she had a bowel obstruction for certain. Nevertheless it’s not clear to me … that it’s associated to the bariatric surgical procedure, as a result of these scars can be proper up by the liver and the abdomen, and the small gut shouldn’t be normally up there.”
Presley reported stomach ache earlier that day, based on the health worker. It’s unclear if her ache had continued for days or come and gone in extreme bouts, that are frequent indicators of bowel obstruction. Vomiting and belly distention – when air or fluid gathers within the stomach and causes it to broaden – are additionally frequent.
In lots of instances, bowel obstructions might be handled if medical care is sought early sufficient. “The message is clearly you probably have belly ache, and it’s persistent belly ache, go see a doctor,” Kurian mentioned.
Not All Bariatric Procedures are the Identical
Bariatric surgical procedure contains many various procedures, and Kurian thinks from the health worker’s report that Presley most definitely had a single anastomosis duodenal ileostomy (SADI). This type of process lowers meals consumption by lowering the abdomen dimension and limits absorption of meals by bypassing a part of the small gut.
A bowel obstruction can happen after many sorts of surgical procedure, not simply bariatric procedures. Gynecologic surgical procedure, urinary system surgical procedure, and common belly surgical procedures can go away inner scarring that causes this complication, mentioned Kurian. “So it might very nicely have been from another surgical procedure.”
If left untreated, bowel obstructions can lower off blood provide, “which is sadly what occurred in Ms. Presley’s case,” mentioned Stacy Brethauer, MD, a bariatric surgeon and a professor within the Division of Basic and Gastrointestinal Surgical procedure at Ohio State College Wexner Medical Middle.
Almost all bariatric procedures within the final 20 years have been carried out with minimally invasive strategies, like laparoscopy, that trigger much less scarring than open surgical procedure, Brethauer mentioned.
“Luckily, bowel obstructions are fairly uncommon now after laparoscopic bariatric surgical procedure and happen in solely 1-2% of sufferers long-term,” he mentioned.
Quick- and Lengthy-Time period Dangers
General, the dangers of unhealthy outcomes after weight reduction surgical procedure are “very, very low,” Kurian mentioned. Quick-term dangers embrace leaks, bleeding, an infection, and blood clots. Lengthy-term opposed results can embrace bowel obstruction and malnutrition. The chance of malnutrition from decrease absorption of vitamins might be lessened by sufferers taking multivitamins, for instance.
For the overwhelming majority of sufferers in search of bariatric surgical procedure, the advantages far outweigh the dangers, each within the brief time period and long run, Brethauer mentioned. Advantages embrace vital discount in long-term deaths, most cancers threat, heart problems, and diabetes.
“Physicians ought to counsel sufferers that bariatric surgical procedure, like every surgical process, has some inherent dangers,” he added. Mortality charges are presently lower than 0.1% and main short- and long-term complication charges vary from 1% to 4%.
Dangers additionally differ relying on particular person affected person elements and the kind of bariatric process, equivalent to sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, or the adjustable gastric band.
Whether or not the affiliation with bariatric surgical procedure was behind Presley’s loss of life, “It’s so necessary to stipulate how protected bariatric surgical procedure really is. We get most individuals by way of surgical procedure ‘wholesome, hale and hearty,’” Kurian mentioned.
Anti-Weight problems Medicines vs. Surgical procedure?
Requested if the rising reputation of anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy or off-label use of Ozempic will lower weight reduction surgical procedure, Kurian was uncertain.
“Bariatric surgical procedure, really, I feel won’t drop off,” she mentioned. “These medication are useful, however the ones that we presently have haven’t taken off as a lot weight as surgical procedure.”
Kurian believes surgical procedure affords a extra sturdy method to treating extreme weight problems.
In the end, a call on anti-obesity treatment and/or bariatric surgical procedure needs to be individualized and primarily based on a dialogue between a affected person and their physician. It additionally relies upon, partly, on how a lot weight an individual would wish to lose to be more healthy, Kurian mentioned.
“These drugs are a incredible addition to our armamentarium for the therapy of weight problems,” Brethauer mentioned. “These injectable drugs really mimic the identical intestine hormone modifications we see after metabolic procedures like gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and duodenal change.
“Each bariatric surgical procedure and pharmacological brokers just like the GLP-1 receptor agonists are protected and efficient, and we use these drugs earlier than and after surgical procedure to advertise further weight reduction and management starvation,” Brethauer added. The largest distinction between the 2 approaches is modifications from surgical procedure are extra everlasting in comparison with the drugs that require taking up an ongoing foundation.
On the plus facet, extra persons are speaking about weight problems with the recognition of Wegovy, Ozempic, and different anti-obesity drugs. This might assist take away a few of stigma round weight problems, Kurian mentioned, and “it makes everybody notice that it isn’t nearly weight-reduction plan and train.”
“It is great that persons are getting assist understanding … that it isn’t simply their failure however that there are physiologic and hormonal causes for the lack to drop pounds simply.”
