In reply: We agree that bariatric surgery is an important treatment for obesity-related obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) but disagree on the body mass index (BMI) criterion and on Wong’s interpretation of the literature.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. National Health and Medical Research Council. Clinical practice guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents and children in Australia. Melbourne: NHMRC, 2013. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n57_obesity_guidelines_130531.pdf (accessed Nov 2013).
- 2. National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, North American Association for the Study of Obesity. The practical guide: identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. (NIH Publication No. 00-4084.) http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_b.pdf (accessed Nov 2013).
- 3. Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, et al. Bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 2004; 292: 1724-1737.
- 4. Greenburg DL, Lettieri CJ, Eliasson AH. Effects of surgical weight loss on measures of obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis. Am J Med 2009; 122: 535-542.
- 5. Dixon JB, Schachter LM, O’Brien PE, et al. Surgical vs conventional therapy for weight loss treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2012; 308: 1142-1149.
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
No relevant disclosures.