Lap Band at 70

My father is 70 years old and his heart doctor wants him to have lap band. He is about 6ft over 300 lbs. and of course all the problems that come with being over weight. High blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea. But my concern is his age. His heart doctor says that his heart is perfect and he wants to keep it that way.

What does everyone think?

If he was ten years younger he might be a reasonable candidate but the risks of any surgery after 70 go up.  Take into account the risks of malnutrition and your dad's risk versus benefit do not seem to warrant the procedure.  Consultation with a dietician or bariatric specialist may still be of benefit.

If his heart doctor thinks your father is robust enough to withstand surgery that's got to count for something, I'd have thought.  Is he any more or less likely to come through lap-band surgery alive than ... in three or four years time...  more traumatic/invasive procedures such as a bypass?  I don't know.  Lap-banding results in dramatic life-changes which a 70 year-old might find difficult to adapt to.  Presumably his doctor has already suggested he changes his diet, does more exercise, offered him medications without success?  Ultimately, the decision rests with your father and not you, of course.  What would he like to do?

I would say NO... if he can't follow a regular diet, a lapband won't help him, and if he can then he doesn't need one... a seventy-year-old body CERTAINLY doesn't need the extra stress of extreme dieting, and he'd be far better off if somebody gave him some basic nutritional information and showed him how to eat healthily by himself. (besides, if his heart is good and strong now, why does his doctor automatically assume that it's only a matter of time before it goes bad because of his weight? Studies have found that once you get to 'old age' it's better to maintain a stable weight or very slowly decrease it than to shock your body with drastic changes, and you can't get much more drastic than WLS.)

Thanks everybody for your replies. I told him he needs to try to lose it on his own. My mother lost over 100 lbs just by cutting back her food. So I know it can be done. I keep telling her to feed him like she feeds herself. He is going to have a consult with a surgeon. I think the reason they are considering lap band is because it is covered by medicare.

As far as exercising goes there is not too much he can do because of weight and a knee replacement. But he can def. change his diet which is what I think he should do first.

It surprises me that his heart would be in good enough condition to withstand the surgery if he's overweight at 70 and has had any history of being overweight. O_o

I would guess that it had something to do with money as well.

His heart doctor was very suprised as well. He was put in hospital for low blood sugar last year and at that time they asked for a heart consult and that doctor did test after test and could not find anything wrong with his heart. He told my father that there is no way his heart is in that good of condition but it just is.

Wow. O_O! That's awesome then. =)