lgrossbard

This is a post that is a long time in coming. I will attempt to clarify some issues that affect all of us as bandsters. My name is Lee Grossbard and I was banded by Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Juan Antonio Lopez in TJ almost three years ago, 10/18/02. I lost my requisite 105 lbs in about 10 months and have never regretted my Band or where I went for when I did. I am also one of the busiest LapBand surgeons in the US and proctor other surgeons here in the US and worldwide. This was set up by the FDA and INAMED, the maker of the LapBand, as a way to ensure quality in the US. Unfortunately, this has no bearing in Mexico. When I chose to go to Mexico three yaers ago, it wsas after looking at other surgeons in Florida and deciding based upon quality of the surgeons, and not price, that I made my decision. About one and a half months ago a patient came to see me in extremous. That is, she was sevely dehydrated and almost in a near deadly position. This can happen to any of us undergoing surgery. We are morbidly obese and the term morbid means deadly. She was taken to an operating room where she was found to have a poorly placed or repositioned Band that had been placed on 7/4/05 at the Molding Clinic in TJ, about 11 days earlier. Unfortunately, her stomach was partially compromised; it it was decided to remove the Band and consider a new Band in the future. It should also be pointed out that I had placed a Band on her son 7 months earlier. She did well post-operatively and went home minus her Band. During her operation we found a US port, unusual in Mexico since normally they would use the international port. I have yet to get an explanation for this. I called the Clinic and never was able to talk with Dr. Huacuz. Instead, 2 days later I spoke with the owner of the clinic Andres Betancourt. It should be noted that this cannot happen in the US where clinics must be owned by physicians and not businessmen. Many American choose to go to Mexico for their Bands for various reasons. Unfortunately, price seems to be the primary reason, and this proves to be detrimental to some. It certainly was in this case. This patient had an upper GI swallow with barium while at the clinic. She never was able to see this nor speak with her surgeon from that point forward. This x-ray showed a complete obstruction with the Band in a place it should not be. My guess is that the surgeon never saw this x-ray or he would have immediately re-operated on this patient. Some Americans choose to go to Mexico because they do not meet American (FDA) criteria for a Band. In fact, I go to Cancun twice a year to operate on these patients, where the FDA has no jurisdiction. The biggest problem facing Americans who go to Mexico for Band surgery is finding competant American surgeons who are fully trained and certified when they get back. Unfortunately, because of the litigious society that we live in, most malpractice carriers do not allow us to fill Mexican patients. If you go to surgeon, even in Mexico, and try to get the lowest price, you may get what you pay for. There have been instances of a bait and switch between types of Bands, no band at all, etc. The boards are filled with these horror stories. I do not need to restate them here. What does need to be stated is that not all Mexican surgeons are reputable and that also might be true in the US. Furthermore, sosme Mexican surgeons work at clinics that they have no say in, that is, a business person makes the rules and literally can be making a clinical decision in your care. There are many reputable surgeon, who do great work, in Mexico, but be careful. The actual cost of going to Mexico, after a legal deduction in the US, may not be much lower than when the patient has surgery in the US. That having been said, the patient in question has done well. It is my understanding that the surgeon has repayed her and the company is trying to get her a free Band through their Mexican distributor. We will be happy to place this Band in the US or at the least, we will help her get this done in Mexico. My e-mail address is here and I welcome any questions through the boards or directly. Lee Grossbard