Are you tired of not losing weight even after making changes in your diet and doing vigorous exercise for years? If morbid obesity is posing a host of health issues and nothing is helping to shed weight, you can consider getting a bariatric or weight loss surgery. In this blog, we will discuss the meaning and types of bariatric surgeries.
What is Bariatric Surgery?
Bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery refers to surgical techniques that help patients lose weight by altering the functioning of the digestive tract through removal, rerouting, and stapling of organs including the stomach and intestine. Lap band, Gastric Sleeve, Gastric bypass, and Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, are some of the common types of bariatric surgery. Doctors recommend bariatric surgery when diet and exercise fail to bring desired weight loss in morbidly obese patients. A weight loss surgery may also be prescribed for obese patients experiencing major health issues as a result of their weight. Some bariatric surgeries work on the principle of limiting food intake, thereby altering metabolism and appetite, while others work by making it harder for the body to absorb calories. Apart from treating obesity, these surgeries are effective in treating diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and high cholesterol, and heart disease among many other diseases in obese patients. Weight loss surgery can be done through open surgery, but nowadays a majority of these surgeries are done through laparoscopic and robotic techniques.
Types of Bariatric Surgery
Gastric sleeve- Gastric sleeve or vertical sleeve gastrectomy is the most common type of weight loss surgery. In this surgery, a doctor removes around 80% of the stomach closed with the help of staples. Leaving behind a much smaller, tubular portion that resembles a sleeve, gastric sleeve surgery aims to limit food intake to make you feel full sooner than usual, thereby aiding weight loss.
Gastric bypass – Gastric bypass is also known as Roux-en-Y, a french term meaning “in the form of Y”. After surgery, the small intestine takes the shape of Y. In this surgery, the surgeon first creates a small pouch out of the stomach, folding almost 80% of the stomach with the help of surgical staples. The small intestine is then divided into two sections and the lower section is brought up to join the newly created stomach pouch. Post-surgery, the food bypasses a majority of your stomach and upper intestine to enter the lower intestine directly. This limits the amount of food the stomach can contain as well as the calories the small intestine absorbs.
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (LAGB) – It is a type of weight loss surgery in which an inflatable silicone adjustable gastric band is wrapped around the stomach by the surgeon. The size of the silicone gastric band is adjusted by altering the volume of the saline solution. This is done through a port beneath the surface of your skin in the stomach region. This weight loss surgery aims to create a smaller stomach pouch making one consume less food and feel fuller soon. Apart from the pouch created through a band, the rest of the digestion process remains the same. LAGB is a safe and least invasive gastronomy surgery. In cases of post-surgery complications or intolerance, the surgery can be reversed by simply removing the band from the patient’s body.
Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch – Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch also known as a duodenal switch is a type of weight loss surgery in which the size of the stomach and the length of the small intestine is altered. It restricts the amount of food you can consume, digest, and assimilate. The process of BPD/DS happens in two stages including a sleeve gastrectomy and a gastric bypass. Firstly, a large portion of the stomach is removed through a sleeve gastrectomy process, leaving a tube-shaped small pouch. In the second phase, the lower portion of the intestine is connected to the duodenum close to the stomach, bypassing a majority of the intestine. The food now only passes through the newly formed stomach pouch, mixes with pancreatic juices, and through the end of the small intestine. Less food is processed and fewer calories are absorbed as a result given that a significant portion of the small intestine is circumvented (bypassed).
Wrap Up
Not being able to lose weight after intense exercise and diet can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Bariatric surgery comes into the picture as a promising weight loss solution to help obese persons lead healthy lives. But remember, weight loss surgery is not made for everyone. Being overweight doesn’t automatically make you eligible for bariatric surgery. Certain eligibility conditions must be met to undergo weight loss surgery. This is why It is important to consult a bariatric surgeon to see your options. If you are considering getting a bariatric or weight loss surgery in Dallas or Fort Worth, Texas, consult reputable and trustworthy bariatric surgeons in the DFW region with years of experience and advanced medical solutions to discuss the type of surgery most beneficial for you.