The families of two New York women who received lap-band surgery—a procedure meant to help severely obese people lose weight—are suing the respective hospitals where their kin received the surgery, after both women died due to surgical complications. Both Rebecca Quatinetz, 27, and Danielle Delango, 25, died two months after their surgery; Quatinetz's suit claims her lap-band was defective.
The girls decided to undergo the invasive procedure after attending a seminar, and Quatinetz's mother said, "The whole thing is that people think it's very safe, and neither of our daughters were so morbidly obese."
The FDA says the surgery "is used for weight loss in severely obese adults who have been obese for at least five years and for whom non-surgical weight loss methods have not been successful. They must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle. Patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40, a BMI of at least 35 with one or more severe morbid (unhealthy) conditions, or be at least 100 pounds over their estimated ideal weight." Severely obese adults who have developed another condition, like diabetes, may also be candidates for the procedure.
