Month: November 2014

Gastric bypass causes no more short-term problems than other common types of surgery, a new study finds. Gastric bypass is a type of weight-loss surgery. It shrinks the stomach. It also causes food to bypass part of the small intestine. The study looked laparoscopic procedures. They are done using very small incisions. Everyone in the study had type 2 diabetes. More than 16,500 had gastric bypass surgery. Almost 67,000 had other types of surgery. In the 30 days after gastric bypass, 3.4% of patients had some sort of problem (complication). That was about the same rate as for gallbladder surgery and hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). About 0.3% of gastric bypass patients died within 30 days after surgery. That was about the same death rate as total knee replacement. The study was presented November 6 at a conference. Weight loss after gastric bypass can improve health.

People who take certain pain relievers may be more likely to die soon after a stroke, a new study finds. The study looked at use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They include celecoxib (Celebrex), known as a Cox-2 inhibitor. It suppresses the enzyme Cox-2, which is linked with pain and inflammation. Celecoxib does not suppress the enzyme Cox-1, which helps to protect the stomach. Two older drugs, diclofenac and etodolac, are also sometimes called Cox-2 inhibitors. They suppress Cox-2 more than Cox-1. Ibuprofen and naproxen suppress both. The new study included more than 100,000 people who had a first stroke. Those who had taken celecoxib, diclofenac or etodolac before their stroke were 19% more likely to die in the month after the stroke than people not taking an NSAID. This was true only for those who had an ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot.