28 August,2017 09:04 PM IST | Mumbai | Rupsa Chakraborty
City surgeon comes up with a first-of-its-kind study that allows patients to get post-operative treatment after bariatric surgery on the digital platform
Dr Shashank Shah
There's a reason why Eman Ahmed Abdulati, once known as the heaviest woman in the world, underwent bariatric surgery in Mumbai. The city offers the best medical solutions to weight issues. However, post-operative care often becomes a problem for the countless patients, who return to their nations post the surgery. In order to bridge this void, a city-based surgeon has come up with a unique solution. Post bariatric surgery patients can now avail of treatment on WhatsApp.
This is a first-of-its-kind study performed by an Indian bariatric surgeon. The research paper has been accepted by World Congress of international federation for the surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorder that would be presented on August 29.
Speaking to mid-day, Dr Shashank Shah, who pioneered the study, said, "I randomly selected 120 patients, who had undergone the weight loss surgery, from around the world for the study, which spanned a year. They were divided into two groups of 60 each. While one group underwent traditional clinical treatment, the other was enrolled under Dr Shah as Digital Support Group (DSG)."
The BMI change
The study revealed that DSG patients lost more weight than the other group of patients. "The body mass index (BMI) of patients in DSG changed from 41.13 kg per square metre at baseline to 28.17 kg per square metre in the end. While for patients who opted for the traditional clinic-based treatment, the BMI went from 42.63 kg per square metre at baseline to 30.49 kg per square metre," he said.
How does DSG work?
Patients, post their bariatric surgeries, need to follow certain lifestyle modifications and diet counseling. Dr Shah offers all the guidance through digital media. "I created a WhatsApp group in which I added 60 patients from the DSG group. As expected, they are more accessible than the other group. I can advise the DSG group whenever they need help. They don't need to wait in long queues at clinics. Also, these patients get to interact with each other, which acts as inspiration," he said.
As per the official email sent by the World Congress, which is available with mid-day, the study will be published in Springer (one of the first major publishers to offer open access publication) under the category of "obesity surgery".
