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Bariatric Surgery
What is Bariatric Surgery?Bariatric surgery is a treatment option for people living with morbid obesity—especially for those who have not experienced long-term weight loss success through other means. Weight loss can be achieved through various procedures or a combination of them. The first is done by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device or a gastric band, through the removal of a portion of the stomach, a sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch or gastric bypass surgery.How Does Bariatric Surgery Work?Restrictive ProceduresDuring these procedures, the surgeon creates a small stomach pouch that limits the amount of food patients can eat. The smaller stomach pouch fills quickly, which helps patients feel satisfied with less food. Examples of restrictive procedures:
Malabsorptive Procedures During these procedures, the surgeon reroutes the small intestine so that food skips a portion of it. The small intestine absorbs calories and nutrients from food, and avoiding part of it means that many calories and nutrients are not absorbed. Surgeons rarely perform strictly malabsorptive procedures. Most procedures that use malabsorption also use restriction. Combination Procedures Certain procedures use both restriction and malabsorption. For example, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery uses a combination of restriction and malabsorption. During the procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch. The surgeon then attaches a Y-shaped section of the small intestine directly to the stomach pouch. This allows food to bypass a large portion of the small intestine, which absorbs calories and nutrients. The smaller stomach pouch causes patients to feel fuller sooner and eat less food; bypassing a portion of the small intestine means the patient’s body absorbs fewer calories. Examples of restrictive procedures:
These different methods work to help patients lose excess weight, lower their Body Mass Index, and transform their health by resolving or improving co-morbid conditions. Bariatric surgery has many benefits that can lead to a healthier, higher quality of life. It also has certain risks. It is the goal of our practice to provide patients and their families with the necessary information and tools to make an informed decision as to whether weight loss surgery is the right option for them. Below is a partial list of the Bariatric Surgery procedures performed by the physicians at Advanced Surgical Associates:
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