Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric Surgery:

  • Bariatric surgery is actually a weight-loss surgery that helps you lose weight by making changes in your digestive system. It includes a variety of procedures on people who are obese.
  • This surgery involves the use of the gastric band to reduce the size of the stomach or involves removal of a portion of the stomach by sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch.
  • The size of the stomach can also be reduced by resecting and re-routing the small intestine to a small stomach pouch and this process is known as gastric bypass surgery.
  • These weight loss surgeries are generally done after you have tried some other ways to lose weight such as following a healthy, balanced diet and doing regular exercise.

Sleeve Gastrectomy:

  • Sleeve gastrectomy is a surgical weight-loss procedure usually performed using an instrument laparoscope.
  • In this procedure a large portion of the stomach is removed and with the result, the stomach is reduced to 15 % of its original size.
  • This surgical procedure changes the shape of the stomach to sleeve or tube-like structure.
  • Originally, Sleeve gastrectomy was performed as a modification to the duodenal switch, a bariatric procedure. Then, later on, it was performed as first part of the surgical procedure on very obese patients in which the risk of performing gastric bypass surgery alone was too large.
  • Today, sleeve gastrectomy is the fastest-growing weight loss surgical procedure. This procedure involves a longitudinal resection of the stomach starting from the antrum at the point 5–6 cm from the pylorus and finishing at the fundus close to the cardia.

Advantages of Bariatric Surgery

  • With the increasing cases of obesity and associated health problems, bariatric surgery is becoming a powerful tool to provide sustained relief to those people who are overweight.

    • Diabetes– This procedure is highly effective for those obese patients who are suffering from type 2 diabetes.
    • Coronary heart disease– It decreases the risk of any coronary heart disease and stroke. It can help regulate the blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
    • Painful joints– Being overweight causes stress in your weight bearing joints that result in joint pain. Bariatric surgery offers relief from joint pain by reducing the excess of weight.
    • Other medical conditions– It also helps in alleviating other medical conditions as well such as metabolic syndrome, pregnancy complications, and gallbladder disease. It also helps reduce the risk of associated health complications such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, severe sleep apnea and stroke.
    • Fertility– The surgery is also known to improve fertility during child-bearing years.
    • Depression– Due to the poor body structure, most of the obese people feel depressed. Losing excess weight with this surgery can offer relief from depression.