Some Facts Relating To Gastric Sleeve Surgery Houston Residents Need To Know Of

By Jessica Wood


Losing excess weight is by no means an easy undertaking. Bariatric surgeries have now been adopted widely as an option for weight loss. There are several types of these operations that exist. They include gastric banding, bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. Each of them is associated with a number of advantages and disadvantages. If they have intentions of undergoing gastric sleeve surgery Houston residents need to be aware of a number of things in mind.

Sleeve gastrectomy may be used on its own or as part of the bypass procedure. The procedure itself involves the removal of a significant part of the stomach. The organ is first split along its length, the unwanted part removed and the remainder repaired using stitches or staples. Generally, the part that is removed is between 75% and 80% leaving behind a small tubular structure that can hold a limited amount of food.

The objective of performing this operation is to reduce the amount of food that an individual can consume in one sitting. With the small stomach size, there is faster filling and hence early satiety. The removal of a large section also means that the amount of gastric hormones that are released from the stomach lining will be markedly reduced. Appetite is thus reduced and the levels of glucose in the blood maintained within fairly normal ranges.

Outcomes of this surgery are satisfactory for the most part. It has been shown that as much as 50% of weight can be lost within 6 months to one year. This is almost the same as what would be seen after bypass surgery. The advantage is that the unwanted effects of bypass are not experienced. Other advantages include the fact that nerves supplying the stomach are spared and so is the valve mechanism at the lower end.

The two techniques that can be used when performing sleeve gastrectomy are the open surgical technique and laparoscopy. Laparoscopy has turned out to be the more popular option. Most of its advantages are due to the use of smaller surgical incisions as compared to those that are made when an open surgical operation is done. The benefits include less pain, a lower risk of infections and faster recovery among others.

A potential candidate for this operation is an individual who has tried losing weight through lifestyle changes but has been unsuccessful. They should ideally have a body mass index of more than 40. If they are already suffering from obesity-related complications such as cardiac disease, sleep apnea and hypertension, a lower value of the index is acceptable. There should be no major risks to this operation.

As is the case with many other surgeries, there are several risks associated with this operation. General complications may include bleeding, injury to vital structures and infections. More specific complications may include esophageal spasms, leakage of gastric contents and long term dilatation of the stomach. Fortunately, the dilation occurs very slowly and is rarely a cause for concern. It is important to mention that the sleeve procedure cannot be reversed even in the presence of severe complications.

There are several types of weight loss surgery that exist. The choice is determined by factors such as the magnitude of problem, skill of the surgeon as well as patient preference. Sleeve gastrectomy is among those that are commonly performed. It is a procedure that has satisfactory results in the majority of people but has a major downside in the fact that it is not reversible.




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