Bariatric Surgery Procedures Bariatric surgery is also known as weight loss surgery and encompasses a number of different procedures, all aimed at helping individuals struggling with obesity lose excess weight and/or lower their health risks. Bariatric surgeries achieve their goal primarily by modifying the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract such that visceral appetite is suppressed or food quantity and/or quality are reduced. Presented below is relevant information about the common procedures of bariatric surgeries, their functions, and the benefits and disadvantages of each. 1. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure: It involves forming a small pouch from the stomach and then attaching this pouch to the small intestine, bypassing the remainder of the stomach with a little intestines Structure. Mechanism: Causes decrease in the stomach volume, reduce the amount of food consumed and minimize the amount of calories consumed. Advantages: Weight loss is highly evidenced; improvement of obesity related illness that include type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. Risks: Possibility of vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition caused by decreased nutrients due to reduced absorption, and dumping syndrome (condition when food quickly passes into the small bowel). 2. Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure: Nearly 80% of the stomach is cut off and is left as a tube-shaped or “sleeve” stomach. Mechanism: Smaller sized stomachs, decreased food consumption, production of hormone (ghrelin) that stimulates appetite is limited. Advantages: Greater achievement of weight loss along with a decrease in hunger; Eventually less time for the surgery and recovery as compared to gastric bypass.
Risks: Acid reflux, nutrient deficiencies, and lesser evaluation of sustainable weight loss over time as compared to gastric bypass.
3. Adjustable Gastric Band (Lap-Band)
Procedure: An adjustable silicone band is inserted around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch void above the band and it limits the intake of the food.
Mechanism: It makes a person feel fullness by limiting the amount food that can be consumed at one sitting.
Advantages: This technique is reversible and adjustable and it is considered to be lower risk procedure.
Risks: Band slippage, erosion and infection are risks as well as having less weight loss in general compared to other procedures. Success rates are good but long-term may require further adjustments and changes.
4. Billiopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS)
Procedure: It combines a sleeve gastrectomy with intestinal bypass. A part of the stomach is cut off and parts of the small intestines are bypassed.
Mechanism: Restricts food intake and absorption of nutrients to an acceptable extent but drastically reduces the ability to absorb nutrients particularly fats.
Advantages: It is one of the most effective procedures for obesity in reducing weight and ameliorating the complaints of those with morbid obesity.
Risks: There is a high risk of nutrient deficiency especially for proteins, vitamins and minerals, thus there is need for lifelong supplementation and monitoring of the patient.
5. Intragastric Balloon
Procedure: A balloon filled using saline is placed within the stomach and the balloon is evilly displaced into and out of the stomach by an endoscope.
Mechanism: The site that the balloon takes up inside the stomach to allow the patient to reach fullness quicker and therefore lowers food intake.
Advantages: Minimally invasive. Do not cause any changes in body structure.
Risks: Motion sickness, vomiting, balloon rupture, stomach perforation and loss of weight less than in surgical approaches. Balloon has to be taken out after six months, which makes this a short term solution.
6. Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG)
Procedure: An endoscopic suturing procedure whereby the volume of the stomach is reduced without any portion of it being resected forming a tubular structure.
Mechanism: Reduction of volumes of food eaten, slowness in the rate of gastric emptying.
Advantages: There are no cut incisions on the skin and go through a shorter period of recovery as well as suitable for people who cannot have the conventional types of surgery.
Risks: Nausea and stomach pain are some of the risks that accompany the surgery, also there is limited data that follow patients who have undergone the procedure on how effective it is in promoting weight loss over time.
Benefits of Bariatric Surgery
Significant Weight Loss: People who go for bariatric surgical procedures lose weight in the range of 50-70 or even more depending on the kind and degree of discipline followed by the patient.
Improvement of Health Conditions: Most of the patients have seen improvements or complete resolution of conditions associated with being obese such as diabetes type 2, hyper tension, sleep apnoea as well as heart diseases.
Quality of Life: Improvement in quality of life often experienced includes improvement in mobility and reduction in joint pain among other things.
Risks and Considerations
Surgical Risks: The common risks of undergoing any surgical procedure are bleeding, infection, and complications associated with the designated procedure.
Nutritional Deficiencies: A number of bariatric procedures entail reduction of certain nutrients hence lifelong supplementation of vitamins and minerals is a must.
Lifestyle Changes: It is also crucial to relieve the need for maintaining diet and exercise in the future in order to reap the benefits.
Mental Health Considerations: Coping with a new diet and routine might be difficult for some patients, and some may report some level of depression, particularly in the months after the surgery. In such cases, support groups and therapy are recommended.
Choosing the Right Procedure
In selecting the type of bariatric surgery, factors such as body mass index, presence of obesity-related diseases, individual preferences as well as the risks involved will be taken into consideration. It is advisable to see a medical professional, who may be a bariatric doctor, a nutritionist, and a psychologist in order to choose the most appropriate procedure and additionally to receive full care before the operation and after it.
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