Gastric Sleeve Surgery:

How Does It Work?

Understanding The Benefits And Risks Of Gastric Sleeve Surgery

A vertical sleeve gastrectomy is a medical procedure that is design to modify the stomach so that the patient is able to lose weight. The procedure is also called gastric sleeve surgery. The surgery is specifically designed to help individuals who are too overweight to receive other types of weight loss surgeries such as a gastric bypass. There are some benefits, risks and non-medical issues surrounding the procedure.

Reducing The Size Of The Stomach

The actual surgery is performed on patients who have been administered general anesthetic. It is also usually done with laparoscopic tools that only require small incisions in the body.

Reducing The Size Of The Stomach

The procedure involves cutting away a very large portion of the stomach with these laparoscopic tools. Depending on the actual weight of the patient and some other issues as much as 80 percent of the stomach will be removed. The doctors are careful not to damage or remove important parts of the stomach so that it will continue to function normally and absorb nutrients from foods. The remaining portion of the stomach is then sealed closed with staples before the surgery ends and healing can begin.

Benefits

The stomach is reduced in size so that it will hold roughly one ounce of food and liquid. This triggers weight loss because it causes the patient to feel full much more quickly than before the surgery. This new restriction on the amount of food that can be eaten in a single sitting will trigger weight loss in individuals who are very obese. The weight loss is not as dramatic and sometimes not even measurable in people who are not obese. The ultimate goal of gastric sleeve surgery is to provide a mechanism for weight loss that will allow the patient to lose enough weight to become eligible for other types of surgery.

Side Effects And Risks

All surgeries have some risks. The largest risk from this procedure is that the staples in the stomach will fail. This could result in leakage from the stomach that has the potential to be very harmful. One side effect that should be considered before the surgery is performed is that it is completely irreversible.

Side Effects And Risks

The parts of the stomach that are removed are not able to be placed back into the body and there are no artificial ways to replace the tissue. This is one reason why the surgery is considered only a single step towards a more comprehensive type of weight loss procedure.

Long-Term Weight Loss

Maintaining long-term consistent weight loss after gastric sleeve surgery requires a dramatic change of lifestyle. The amount of food that can be eaten in a single meal is less than one cup. Additionally, the stomach retains all of its ability to expand when full. This means that it is still possible to overeat and completely negate the benefits of the surgery over time.

Non-Medical Issues

A vertical sleeve gastrectomy is not universally accepted by doctors or insurance companies as a tested type of surgery. This means that it might be difficult to find a doctor that will perform the procedure and an insurance company that does not consider it experimental. This is especially true for people who qualify for nearly any other type of weight loss surgery.