Gastric Bypass What Significant Findings

Gastric Bypass What significant findings and results did Craig and Tseng? (2002) identify in their study regarding the cost-effectiveness of gastric bypass surgery for severe obesity? Craig and Tseng identified a number of key findings in their survey regarding gastric bypass surgery for severe obesity. The first was that they noted life expectancy does not change as a result of the surgery. Quality of life, however, does change as the result of this surgery. They also identify the costs of the procedure, allowing patients to conduct a cost/benefit analysis.

They otherwise noted some of the obvious -- that QALY and life expectancy decrease with age in obese patients. The authors actually do not make any particularly assessment of the cost-effectiveness. The provide outputs such as life expectancy and quality of life, and they provide costs. To conclude their research, they should have provided a link between the two. The reader might conclude that it is the role of the individual patient to conduct the cost benefit analysis -- however this is something that the authors could have been done.

If they had, gastric bypass could have been compared with other approaches to dealing with this problem that were subject to the same type of survey. Ultimately, the cost benefit analysis must be comparable to alternative treatments to be useful, and for that the authors would need to conduct another calculation to put the cost-benefit into a per-dollar format. 2. Do you agree or disagree with the answer provided to question 1.

Which costs should be included in this analysis? Why? I disagree to some extent with the response to the first question. While I understand the rationale for including related costs such as obesity-related diseases, they should not be included in this study. The specific impact of obesity on these diseases is sometimes subject to study -- they may manifest in patients but be unrelated to the obesity.

In addition, it is difficult to estimate the economic impact that a specific BMI might have on these diseases, whereas the costs associated with the bypass are easier to estimate. It would be good to know to what degree the authors included indirect costs into their estimates. If indirect costs are among the most significant, this probably reduces the accuracy of the study. If possible, direct and indirect costs should have been broken out so as to be more informative to the reader. 3.

Do you agree or disagree with the answer provided to question 2. How does the quality of life vary across BMI, age and gender? Why? While I generally agree with the answer provided to the second question, the answer omitted one of the key findings of the survey. The finding is that gastric bypass surgery does not have an impact on life expectancy of the patient, only quality of life. The general trend is that the higher the BMI, the lower the life expectancy and quality of life.

Males have higher life expectancies compared with females of equivalent age and BMI. That both life expectancy and quality of life both decrease with higher BMI and higher age is not surprising, and this holds up for both genders. The latter finding is not necessary related to BMI. It is something that occurs naturally, as all people find that their age and general level of health will affect their life expectancy and quality of life.

In this study, some control should have been implemented to determine the degree to which these factors are genuinely impacted by the obesity. There is an inference of causation when the authors have only truly noted correlation. In addition, the question of the impact that the surgery has on quality of life is not answered. Estimating quality of life without the surgery does not shed any particular light -- the respondents to this question may have been a mix of gastric bypass patients and those without such treatment.

Comparing the impacts of the treatment with no treatment is more informative,.