Guest guest Posted July 18, 2002 Report Share Posted July 18, 2002 Did any of you see this story: Extreme Weight Loss Treatment Kills Woman Wed Jul 10, 9:58 AM ET NICE, France (Reuters) - A French woman using a new weight-loss procedure that constricted her stomach with a silicone band died after the device slipped off and blocked her esophagus, judicial sources said Tuesday. Police have launched an inquiry into the death of the woman, whose autopsy last Friday indicated she died of severe anemia after food supply to her stomach was cut off, they said. The 46-year-old mother of two, who had the silicone band put in four years ago, could hardly eat anything just before she died and usually vomited even the small amounts of soup she tried to consume, they added. French press reports said deaths were extremely rare from the procedure, which is recommended only for the extremely obese. Other methods include shutting off part of the stomach with staples. The stomach band treatment was developed in France and approved by the Food and Drug Administration ( news - web sites) in the United States last year. Some 10,000 patients have had bands put in over the past six years. The band squeezes the stomach into two pouches, like a balloon constricted in the middle, and the upper pouch signals to the brain that it is full after small portions of food are consumed. As a result, patients eat less and lose weight. The treatment has reportedly helped patients lose a third or more of their body weight. Unlike stomach staples or a more radical gastric bypass, the band can be easily readjusted or removed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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