Good news for millions of overweight Americans resolving to lose weight in 2012: the new gastric pleat (also called plication)  restrictive bariatric procedure features greater weight loss than banding.    Even better:  the gastric pleat procedure is device- and resection free - only one night at the hospital.

And best of all, Health Travel Technologies is sponsoring a free medical webcast for patients to learn all about it.

Does the  the gastric pleat beat LAP-BAND for restrictive weight loss surgery results? That's a topic on the agenda for the Health Travel Technologies live medical webcast on Friday February 10th at 12:00p PST.

We've had a tremendous response - more than 1400 participants in our webcast series

The webcast is free for patients interested in learning information about the latest minimally invasive bariatric procedure to treat obesity, the gastric plication.

The webcast is part of a Patient Information Series provided by Health Travel Technologies, and was developed with the input of the world’s leading gastric plication surgical team - surgeons,  physician nutritionists, hospital administrators and bariatric nurses.

The gastric plication webcast  provides participants with detailed information about the gastric plication procedure - specifics about the surgery itself (how long, size and number of scars, lifestyle changes after)  and will include a review of existing patient data from various clinical studies.

The word “plication” means “to pleat” which describes the method of stomach restriction. The gastric plication involves a specialized suturing technique to restrict stomach capacity without the need for resection, implanted devices or surgical stapling.

"We’ve had more than 1400 participants in our webcast series,” said Patient Information Series spokesperson Deborah Natsch. “It’s a great way for patients to learn about the specifics of a surgical procedure: everything from how the surgeon determines eligibility, to expectations for weight loss; plus, it's a great way to learn how the medical exchange system works."

According to Natsch, many surgeons find the gastric plication notable for its expected lower risk of complication compared to the more invasive gastric bypass and vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedures, while demonstrating similar weight loss outcomes.

Obesity Surgery: Losing Weight Is Just One Benefit

“We’ve had a strong response to the gastric plication program,” shared Case Director Marci Mauro. “We have a robust roster of happy patients who demonstrating excellent weight loss and remission of many obesity complications, including type 2 diabetes,” said Mauro.

According to statistics published by the American Diabetes Association, 26 million Americans are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with another 79 million classified as “pre-diabetic”. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US and is linked to an increased likelihood of kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, and cancer diagnosis and death.

Type 2 diabetes has also been linked to lower lifetime income and professional opportunities.

“One of our own bariatric medical exchange Case Managers has had weight loss surgery with a Health Travel Technologies obesity surgical team, led by one of the world’s leading gastroenterologist surgical teams. We know first-hand that the gastric plication medical travel program is first-rate,” said Mauro.

About Medical Exchange International Health Care

According to Natsch, most patients are not intimately familiar with the very high level of quality and services accessible through medical exchange programs.

The gastric plication medical exchange program feaatured in the HTT webcast is located at Hospital Angeles, Mexico's largest private hospital network, and home to North America's most experienced gastroenterologist surgeon performing the gastric plication procedure.

The practice of global patient medical exchange has become increasingly common; as US health insurance costs continue to outstrip growth in workers’ wages, the benefits of medical exchange  are being sought by self-insured US employers seeking to reduce the cost of employee health care benefits.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the annual premium for family coverage through an employer increased 9% last year to $15,073. 

About the HTT Patient Information Series

Health Travel Technologies’ gastric plication live medical webcast is part of an ongoing Patient Information Series for medical travel treatment programs for bariatric procedures, orthopedic and spinal surgery, stem cell treatment for chronic disease, and functional cancer therapies. To learn more contact a Health Travel Guide toll free at 866.978.2573, or click here to chat online.