Weight-loss patients who had gastric band operations performed by a top surgeon face going under the knife again after claims some of the procedures may cause complications.
A private hospital and the country’s largest health board have contacted dozens of people who were fitted with bands by Professor David Galloway over more than a decade.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and Nuffield Health have had to contact people who were operated on by Galloway, a former president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, before he retired in 2015.
Law firm Thompsons Solicitors is also investigating the issue, with several worried patients getting in touch after receiving a letter about their own operations.
The rare but potentially life-threatening complication is understood to involve the gastric band being put around the main vein that runs from the heart down into the stomach, called the abdominal aorta.
According to medical papers, a band put around this vein can have “possible catastrophic consequences and should be addressed seriously”.
NHS Lothian has been drafted in to fix the problem in at least two of Galloway’s patients so far, according to letters sent to NHSGGC patients.
Last month, the NHSGGC wrote to 39 patients informing them about a “rare” complication with the surgeon’s gastric bands and said: “While the complication which has been identified is rare and we expect the number of affected patients to be extremely low, NHSGGC is being very cautious and taking steps to contact and review all patients who had a gastric band inserted by Prof Galloway.
“This will enable us to assess whether patients still have their gastric bands in place and, if so, whether investigation is required to check the correct positioning of the gastric band.”
One woman who was contacted by NHSGGC said she was worried about her surgery and lives in “constant fear”.
She added: “The health board said there’s probably nothing to worry about but I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Patrick McGuire, of Thompsons Solicitors, who is working with the woman, said: “Things are at a very early stage in our investigation into possible harm caused by problems with the fitting of gastric bands by one surgeon.
"However, there is clearly an issue and it has been extremely distressing for those gastric band patients who have contacted my team after receiving a letter from their health board. We are gathering evidence with a view to possible legal action.”
A spokesman for NHSGGC said they will reach out to all those who may be affected and said they were aware of a complication with Nuffield patients involving a “historic laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) surgery performed by a now retired surgeon who was also employed by NHSGGC”.
He said: “While we believe the risk to our patients is very low, as a precaution, we are reviewing 39 patients who had the procedure performed by the surgeon while in NHSGGC care.”
A Nuffield Health spokesman said it was conducting a “historical review of a select group of Prof Galloway’s patients…after a very small number of his patients at Nuffield Health had a rare complication associated with the positioning of their gastric band.”
He said the review involved asking patients questions to “identify if anyone else has this rare complication and provide any support they need” and added: “We believe the risk is very low.”
There is no suggestion the investigation is taking place due to any deliberate misplacement of the gastric bands.
Galloway said he has retired, adding: “I realise there is a review going on. I’m not party to any of the detail on what they’ve discovered so I’m not in a position to make a comment.”
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