Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPurposeHow to PrepareWhat to ExpectRecoveryLong-Term Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Purpose
How to Prepare
What to Expect
Recovery
Long-Term Care
Gastric sleeve surgery—also known as sleeve gastrectomy—is a type ofbariatric (weight loss) surgery. Gastric sleeve surgery involves reducing the size of your stomach so you feel full after eating only a small amount of food.
While this operation is an effective means of losing weight, it’s not a permanent solution. Patients must be willing and able to commit to lifelong healthy eating and exercise habits to sustain weight loss and avoid complications.
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, gastric sleeve surgery is the most commonly performedbariatric procedurein the United States.
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What Is Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
With gastric sleeve surgery, the surgeon removes about 80% of the stomach in order to create a smaller stomach. The new stomach is tubular in shape and about the size of a banana.With this reduction, patients feel full for several hours after eating just a little amount of food—thus, reducing their overall intake.
Besides making a smaller stomach, gastric sleeve surgery removes the stomach cells that normally produce the hunger hormoneghrelin. This decrease in hormone production means patients often experience a decrease in appetite, which can further contribute to weight loss.
Various Surgical Techniques
The gastric sleeve procedure is usually donelaparoscopically, using minimally invasive techniques.Less commonly, the surgery is open, which means that the surgeon makes a large incision in the patient’s abdomen to access the stomach.
Criteria and Contraindications
The indications for undergoing weight loss surgery, including gastric sleeve surgery, are:
BMI is a dated, flawed measure. It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Even though it is a biased measure, BMI is still widely used in the medical community because it’s an inexpensive and quick way to analyze a person’s potential health status and outcomes.
An exception to the above criteria is that Asian patients who have poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and a BMI as low as 27.5 may be considered for surgery.
This exception exists because, when compared to whites, Asians are more likely to store fat in their abdomen, as opposed to peripherally (e.g, in their buttocks, hips, and thighs). With this abdominal fat accumulation, they have an increased risk of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease, even at relatively low BMIs.
Absolute contraindications to undergoing gastric sleeve surgery include:
Relative contraindications to undergoing gastric sleeve surgery includeBarrett’s esophagus,gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and a largehiatal hernia.
Potential Risks
While gastric sleeve surgery is less risky than other bariatric surgeries, there are potential side effects and complications that can happen in the days or even years after the procedure.
In addition to the knownrisks of anesthesiaand thegeneral risks of surgery, gastric sleeve surgery is associated with these specific risks:
Risks of Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Purpose of Gastric Sleeve Surgery
The purpose of gastric sleeve surgery is weight loss, as well as reversing or improving health conditions that may be associated with obesity.
Examples of obesity-related conditions include:
If you meet the criteria for gastric sleeve surgery, you will need to undergo several tests and assessments to be fully cleared for the procedure.
These tests include:
Lastly, a gastroenterology consultation may be required to evaluate for conditions that may ultimately delay or be a contraindication to surgery (e.g., hiatal hernia, ulcer, or mass).
Bariatric Surgery: Everything You Need to Know
Once your surgery is scheduled, your surgeon will give you instructions to help you prepare.
These instructions may include:
What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
On the day of your gastric sleeve surgery, you can expect the following steps:
Once you wake up in the recovery room, it’s normal to feel groggy and experience some nausea, vomiting, and pain. Rest assured that a nurse can give you pain and anti-nausea medications to help ease your symptoms.
Usually, you will be moved from the recovery room to a hospital room after a few hours. You can expect to stay for one to two nights.
You will be closely monitored for complications like bleeding and infection. You will also be encouraged to start walking as soon as possible to avoid developingblood clotsin your legs.
Once you are tolerating aclear liquid dietwell (which usually begins the morning after surgery) and you have no signs of complications, you will likely be discharged home and given various instructions to follow.
Some of these instructions may include:
In the end, gastric sleeve surgery is not a quick fix for losing weight. Patients must see their surgeon and a bariatric registered dietitian regularly and strictly adhere to a diet and exercise regimen after surgery.
This regimen includes:
Keep in mind that there are significant emotional issues that can accompany any type of weight loss procedure as well.For people who use eating as a coping mechanism, finding a new way to adapt and manage stress without food can be challenging.
It’s important to find healthy outlets for stress, such as exercise or making quality time for yourself. Open and clear communication with friends and family can also be useful, as can a bariatric support group.In some instances, seeing a therapist or psychologist who specializes in bariatric surgery may be warranted.
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