Lived experiences of South African bariatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly changed the lifestyle of people around the globe. Epidemics are well known for initiating mental stress and patients having undergone bariatric surgery for obesity are at high risk for the common presence of psychological co-morbidities The recent lockdowns imposed by various governments to curb the COVID-19 epidemic have affected the eating habits of many people. In patients with bariatric surgeries, eating disorders can have a profound impact on their health, leading to weight regain. Individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery may represent a particularly susceptible population. The adverse effects might be manifested in the form of eating disorders, psychological problems, and negative impacts on weight loss outcomes. There have been challenges in weight loss due to lockdowns, resulting in negative psychological impacts. Furthermore, changes in socialisation, routine physical activities, emotional stress, and experiences of trauma that have been evident at global levels might have a negative impact on the eating habits of bariatric surgery patients. The current paper highlights the psychological impact of COVID-19 among bariatric surgery patients resulting in weight regain caused by eating disorders and stress and addresses the psychological morbidity in this understudied population. In addition, the impact on the psychology of patients, as their surgeries have been delayed owing to lockdown procedures, has been discussed.

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Does Bariatric Surgery Prior to Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty Improve Outcomes?

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A dataset on skeletal muscle mass index, body composition and strength to determinate sarcopenia in bariatric patients

Bariatric/metabolic surgery has been reported to reduce the incidence of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, its ability to reduce risk is controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the incidence and severity of COVID-19 in bariatric patients in Japan. The first survey of patients infected with COVID-19 after bariatric/metabolic surgery until June 30, 2022, was sent to 83 Japanese institutions. A second survey was conducted in institutions that reported on COVID-19 patients. The severity of COVID-19 was compared between the general population and bariatric patients, and risk factors correlated with severity were also evaluated. Twenty-six institutions (31.3%) reported 119 patients with COVID-19 after laparoscopic bariatric/metabolic surgery. There were no severe cases or deaths; however, moderate COVID-19 (pneumonia) was significantly more common in bariatric patients than in the general population (11.4% vs. 1.3%). The risk factors for moderate COVID-19 in bariatric patients included incurable dyslipidemia and infection before the 6th wave of the pandemic. In Japan, the number of moderate COVID-19 cases may be higher in bariatric patients than in the general population. This study did not show that bariatric/metabolic surgery reduces the risk of COVID-19 complications.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on bariatric patients’ self-management post-surgery

When Pandemics Collide: The Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Obesity

Practicing With Uncertainty: Kidney Transplantation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

IntroductionCoronavirus disease presented itself early in 2019 inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry, and unknown throughout the United States. National and State governed laws imposed social distancing measures, quarantining citizens, and isolating infected persons. Apart from its physical impact, COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes to people’s lives affecting people both physically and psychologically. A key component of quality of life of burn survivors consist of maintaining a long-term burn center connection through support groups. Our burn center developed a virtual format for aftercare to provide psychological support during the pandemic.MethodsRegular attendees and new burn survivors were contacted by the aftercare specialist from an American Burn Associated verified burn center. Participants were surveyed on the best mode of contact and current addresses were obtained. “Happy Mail” was mailed to support group participants 3 times/month. Items included in these packages ranged from motivational sayings, gift cards, essential oils, candies, art projects, and reminders to log onto the virtual support groups. The gift packages also included a mental health check-in icebreaker. These gift packages took the place of our in-person support groups and contained all materials needed to engage and guide participation in the virtual monthly support group. Participants were then invited to join a social media support group for our local burn center.ResultsBurn survivors continued to receive quality psychosocial support to cope with and process feelings as well as validate emotions. Attendees regularly expressed gratitude in receiving “Happy Mail” as it brought a feeling of connectiveness to a group of burn survivors who rely on each other for peer support. The gift packages also served as a reminder of the upcoming virtual aftercare support groups as our attendance did not see a decline at monthly meetings.ConclusionsOur experience suggests that a method of offering “Happy Mail” as part of a curriculum to augment virtual aftercare can be a model to adapt to the emotional support burn survivors and their family members need during the pandemic.

To characterize patient and provider perceptions of the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on weight loss following bariatric surgery. COVID-19 has disrupted routines and healthcare throughout the United States, but its impact on bariatric surgery patients' postoperative experience is unknown. Semistructured interviews with bariatric surgery patients, primary care providers, and health psychologists were conducted from April to November 2020. As part of a secondary analysis, patients and providers described how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the postoperative experience within 3 domains: dietary habits, physical activity, and follow-up care. Interview guides were created from 2 conceptual models: Torain's Surgical Disparities Model and Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Study team members derived codes, which were grouped into themes using conventional content analysis. Thirty-four participants were interviewed: 24 patients (12 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and 12 sleeve gastrectomy), 6 primary care providers, and 4 health psychologists. Patients were predominately female (83%) and White (79%). Providers were predominately female (90%) and White (100%). COVID-19 affected the postoperative bariatric surgery patient experience via 3 mechanisms: (1) it disrupted dietary and physical activity routines due to facility closures and fear of COVID-19 exposure; (2) it required patients to transition their follow-up care to telemedicine delivery; and (3) it increased stress due to financial and psychosocial challenges. COVID-19 has exacerbated patient vulnerability. The pandemic is not over, thus bariatric surgery patients need ongoing support to access mental health professionals, develop new physical activity routines, and counteract increased food insecurity.

I read with interest the viewpoint and editorial on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) published on April 6, 2020.1, 2 They point out the risk of social isolation in this vulnerable Parkinson's disease (PD) population, but they do not address a possible solution via virtual support group meetings. Increased mental and emotional stress attributed to the barrage of negative stories in the media, lack of control, and uncertainty of the future can lead to the worsening of both motor and nonmotor issues in PD.3-5 I describe here a virtual support group intervention for patients with PD (PWP). PD treatment is approached through a combination of pharmacological, surgical, and lifestyle/wellness approaches. The concept of diet and exercise as medicine has increasingly become an integral part of PWP counseling from day 1 of diagnosis. There has been a huge emphasis on early institution of physical therapists, daily exercise, group classes, and support groups. PWP have felt empowered to help their own disease by staying motivated and keeping involved in a number of activities prescribed to them by their health care team. Patients look forward to engaging with their therapists, yoga, and boxing instructors. Many patients feel a sense of purpose and connection through caring for their grandkids or through volunteering. The sudden need to socially distance has literally ripped these therapeutic lifestyle strategies away from our patients overnight. PWP and practitioners alike have been left to scramble to find ways to fill this huge void in their lives. The need for social distancing has put a tremendous strain on caregivers who were already at risk for burning out, getting isolated, and getting sick themselves. Virtual support groups using video-conference technology serves as model intervention to keep PWP connected, educated, and empowered. The model that we have adopted includes the following: partnering a with a PD advocacy organization that has used zoom technology in the past. Patients have the ability to learn and troubleshoot the zoom technology for 30 minutes before each support group session. The host is a neurologist with expertise in PD who hosts each session 2 times per week. An average group size of 60 to 120 PWP and their caregivers are in attendance. Sessions are archived on YouTube within hours of the group meeting so that patients can rewatch the sessions at their convenience. Sessions are held at noon for the convenience of the speakers and attendees. The host interviews the speakers in the following format: introduction with waving together, speaker gives slides or talks about a topic for 20 to 30 minutes, host interviews the speaker for 10 to 20 minutes, question and answer for 10 minutes, and close with waving together (Table 1). The goal of this virtual support group is to prevent the downward spiral of worsened PD symptoms and quality of life for both patients and their caregivers that may be induced by the consequences of COVID-19 and social distancing. This model of virtual support groups can be emulated anywhere in the world because the speakers themselves are remote. In addition, this model can be replicated for other chronic diseases. I acknowledge the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Alliance, Sarah Jones, and Andrea Merriam for their help. Ethical Compliance Statement: No institutional review board or consent was obtained since there was no study. I confirm that I have read the Journal's position on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that this work is consistent with those guidelines. Funding Sources and Conflicts of Interest: No specific funding was received for this work. The author declares there is no conflict of interest relevant to this letter. Financial Disclosures for the Previous 12 Months: There are no financial disclosures for this letter. The author has received honorarium from Acorda and Acadia in the past 12 months.

Free Papers Compiled

Problematic intake of high-sugar/low-fat and high glycemic index foods by bariatric patients is associated with development of post-surgical new onset substance use disorders

Changes in physical function and physical activity in patients up to 5years after bariatric surgery.