LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

 

GETTEMO position statement on bariatric endoscopic techniques as a voluntary medicine

Posicionamiento de GETTEMO sobre las técnicas endoscópicas bariátricas consideradas como medicina satisfactiva

 

 

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Key words: Endoscopy of obesity. Healthcare or curative medicine. Voluntary medicine. Informed consent.

Palabras clave: Endoscopia de la obesidad. Medicina asistencial o curativa. Medicina satisfactiva. Consentimiento informado.

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Dear Editor,

We would like to clarify certain points in the article by C. Dolz et al. entitled "Informed consent in digestive endoscopy - Patient information, endoscopist protection", more specifically regarding the section "Obesity treatments" (1).

First, we want to congratulate the authors for their highly relevant yearlong research of the medico-legal aspects of Spanish endoscopy and for sharing their knowledge with endoscopists at a national level. With regard to the endoscopic management of obesity, we consider that the informed consent process should be even more comprehensive than that with other endoscopic techniques. As the author highlighted, there is less experience in some of these techniques (2,3).

C. Dolz et al. differentiate endoscopic procedures as "healthcare or curative medicine" and procedures termed "voluntary medicine", which they define as "techniques of a merely voluntary nature", i.e., where the subject seeks help not for the improvement of a pathological ailment but in order to improve his or her physical or esthetic appearance, or to transform a biological function" (4). Obesity-related endoscopic techniques are included in the latter domain.

On behalf of the Grupo Español de Trabajo para el Tratamiento Endoscópico del Metabolismo y la Obesidad (GETTEMO), we consider that bariatric endoscopy procedures are intended to supplement the management of a clearly established disease, particularly obesity, and these procedures also improve the metabolic issues associated with this condition (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, arthropathy, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome [OSAS], etc.). Under no circumstances do we consider such techniques as belonging to the field of "esthetic medicine". Therefore, we qualify this specific section as both a clarification and a position statement by GETTEMO in this regard (5).

 

Javier Nebreda-Durán^1,3 and Eduard Espinet-Coll^2,3
1Clínica Diagonal. Barcelona, Spain.
²Hospital Universitario Quiron Dexeus. Barcelona, Spain.
³Grupo Español de Trabajo para el Tratamiento
Endoscópico del Metabolismo y la Obesidad - GETTEMO

 

References

1. Dolz Abadía C. Consentimiento informado en endoscopia digestiva: información para el paciente, protección para el endoscopista. Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2016;108(Supl. 2):13-23.         [ Links ]

2. Arimany Manso J, Benet Travé J, Bruguera Cortada R, et al. Procedimientos quirúrgicos objeto de reclamación por presunto defecto de praxis. Med Clin 2014;142(2):47-51. DOI: 10.1016/S0025-7753(14)70072-7.         [ Links ]

3. Espinet-Coll E, Nebreda-Durán J, Gómez-Valero A, et al. Técnicas endoscópicas actuales en el tratamiento de la obesidad. Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2012;104:72-87.         [ Links ]

4. Andreu E, Azparren A, Donat E. Estudio jurisprudencial en medicina satisfactiva. Rev Esp Med Legal 2001;39:162-7.         [ Links ]

5. Espinet-Coll E, López-Nava G, Nebreda-Durán J, et al. Documento español de consenso en endoscopia bariátrica (En prensa).         [ Links ]