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Some patients go from being claustrophobic and immobile to running marathons if they lose enough weight
Colm O’Boyle is a consultant bariatric surgeon and laparoscopic general surgeon at Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, and senior clinical lecturer at UCC Medical School. I am one of only four bariatric surgeons in the country, so people come from afar. More than half my patients are from outside Munster. Patients regularly travel from Dublin, Galway and Limerick for surgery.
'Like any other surgery, it comes with risks'
Gastric bypass surgery is one of a range of bariatric or weight loss procedures used to combat morbid obesity. It combines the creation of a small stomach pouch to restrict food intake and the construction of bypasses of the duodenum and other segments of the small intestines to decrease the ability to absorb calories and nutrients from food.
Study finds cure or improvement in diabetes cases
Diabetes was cured or significantly improved in more than 80 per cent of patients who underwent obesity surgery, an Irish/British study has found. Consultant laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Dr Colm O'Boyle, led the research. "This shows bariatric surgery is very effective for the treatment of both insulin- and non-insulin dependent diabetes in morbidly obese patients," he said.
Specialist calls for regional obesity units
The Republic should have a series of regional obesity surgery centres, instead of just one, a leading specialist has said. Consultant laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Mr Colm O'Boyle said Irish people were going to the UK "in their droves" for gastric band and gastric bypass surgery.
Obesity surgery abroad leads to follow-up care problems
Up to 60,000 Irish people could now be eligible for obesity surgery. Consultant laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon at the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Mr Colm O'Boyle, said between one and two per cent of the UK population was morbidly obese.
