Introduction:
Most of us may get obese at a certain age span of life. There can be multiple causes for excessive weight gain, including eating too much, health issues, abnormal metabolism, and others. While some health issues make you fat normally, some other issues may lead to severe weight gain. In the article below, we will briefly describe the procedure of Bariatric Surgery.
Bariatric Surgery – What Is It For?
The word Bariatric refers to the treatment of heavy body weight. This medical procedure opts for weight loss efforts. Different Gastric surgeries come under the flag of Bariatric surgery. This surgery to lose fat can offer you multiple advantages and disadvantages at the same time. The procedure also differs for every other individual depending upon the obesity class.
Why It Is Chosen?
According to the National Institute of Health Sciences (NIH), Bariatric Surgery is done to fight class lll obesity issues. The main motive behind Bariatric surgery is to overcome excessive weight gain. This is because a lot of fat will create many health issues for you including:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Heart Attack Chances
- Sleep Apnea
- High Blood Pressure
Who Needs This Surgery?
Bariatric surgery is a good option for a person if his/her Bassal Metabolic Rate increases up to 40 or beyond. The reason is that people having this much BMR are very obese. Not only this but this much BMR value can also be a major cause of various health-related diseases.
Apart from this, you must remember that if you become obese, it is not okay to go for a Bariatric stomach reduction surgery on your own. First, you need to pass severe screening tests before you are actually prescribed the surgery by your specialist.
Advantages & Disadvantages – By Procedure:
Every other Bariatric stomach reduction surgery has its advantages and disadvantages which include:
| Balloon | Band | Gastrectomy | Bypass | |
| Risk of surgical complications | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate |
| Recovery time | Weeks | Weeks | 4-6 weeks | 4-6 weeks |
| Amount of weight loss | Moderate | Moderate | High | High |
| Risk of malnutrition | Low | Low | High | High |
| Likelihood of regaining weight | High | High | Low | Low |
| Reversible? | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Different Types of Bariatric Surgery:
Following are the major medical practices that are done according to the varying health conditions of a person:
Sleeve Gastrectomy:
This is basically a Stomach Reduction Surgery in which almost 80% of the patient’s stomach is cut off. The remaining part of the stomach is just like a banana.
Procedure:
- The stomach of the patient is cut and made smaller
- Staplers are used to remove the stomach part that is not needed
How Does The Surgery Work?
In this weight loss procedure, the part of the stomach that produces hunger hormones is removed. Due to this, the individual then feels less hungry and feels almost full after eating a little food. Also, it helps to maintain the blood sugar level and overall body weight of the person.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)
In this bariatric surgery, a Bypass Way is connected that starts from the esophagus and ends up at the small intestine opening. Basically, Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass is a French language term that means “To cut in the shape of Alphabet Y”. This weight loss process is one of the most effective ways to treat obesity issues.
Procedure:
- The stomach is divided into two portions
- The upper portion is almost the size of an egg, while the larger portion remains empty always
- Also, the small intestine is cut off and connected to the small pouch of the stomach in which the food will be processed after the stomach reduction surgery
- The new connection of the small intestine with the small pouch makes the shape of the letter Y
- At last, the bypass larger stomach area and the small intestinal opening will produce digestive enzymes and HCL enough to process the food
How Does The Surgery Work?
After this Bariatric Bypass Surgery, hunger is reduced by 80%. Furthermore, the fullness in the stomach increases and it allows the patient to eat less, thereby leading to less caloric consumption. Usually, patients getting this particular operation are less likely to feel heartburn and other gestational issues.
If the patient has taken any drug before the surgery, then/she will have to stop it immediately after this stomach reduction surgery is performed. Also, the use of any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is also prohibited.
Adjustable Gastric Band (AGB):
This Bariatric Surgery is performed to attach a silicone device to the opening of the stomach. This device helps you to manually adjusts the size of the stomach to let it store less food.
Procedure:
The Adjustable Gastric Band (AGB) is connected to the upper part of the stomach by creating a small pouch that can be adjusted to limit the food supply to the body
How Does The Surgery Work?
The supply of food to the stomach actually depends upon the opening between the stomach and the silicone pouch. The small opening that is attached allows less food to enter the stomach. This bariatric stomach reduction surgery is highly prone to type 2 diabetes.
Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass with Sleeve Gastrectomy (SADI-S)
This is the most advanced stomach surgery to lose weight that is being adopted by doctors for weight loss efforts. In this surgery, there is only one surgical pouch connection.
Procedure:
- This surgery to lose fat is quite similar to that of sleeve gastrectomy in which the stomach is turned into a banana-shaped organ
- The small intestine is also cut into two parts at the start of it
- Also, a loop of intestine that is approximately 4-5 feet long is connected to the lower end of the stomach
How Does The Surgery Work?
After the surgery is done, the food directly enters the small intestine by passing through the small stomach portion. In this portion of the small intestine, the food is mixed with acid and enzymes to absorb vitamins from it. This is the best stomach-reduction surgery that helps to reduce weight fast and securely.
Faqs:
What Type of Conditions Can Bariatric Surgery Treat?
Following are some of the most threatening diseases associated with weight gain and can be treated by Bariatric stomach surgery to lose weight:
- Cancer
- High blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol
- Severe heart and kidney diseases
- Osteoarthritis
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
What After Effects are Associated With Bariatric Surgery?
Every medical procedure has its own merits and demerits. This is why Bariatric surgery also has short and long-term demerits that include:
Short Term Effects:
- Blood Clots in the veins
- Gastrointestinal leaks
- Severe infections
- Bleeding through the nose and anus
- Chances of death are minimal
Long-Term Effects:
- Hypoglycemia, which is a low blood sugar level
- Bowel obstruction
- Hernias
- Severe ulcers and vitamin deficiency
- Gallstones
- Severe heartburn
- Still the chances of death are very low
