This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate policy.
Last Updated on June 20, 2023
There are several surgical techniques to carry out bariatric surgery or obesity surgery. Its objective is to facilitate weight loss for people with obesity who want to improve their health and cannot achieve it through other non-surgical treatments.
Obesity is a disease that increases the risk of developing other more serious disorders and is considered a global health epidemic that is continuously growing since the number of new cases increases each year in developed and developing countries.
Bariatric surgery offers a significant boost not only to losing weight but also to changing certain habits and improving health. Weight loss improves most health problems related to being overweight, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea syndrome, hypertension, or arthritis. Currently, the most widely used bariatric surgeries are the intragastric balloon, the bypass, and the gastric tube. Here you can learn a little more about everything.
How Can You Know If You Are a Candidate for Bariatric Surgery?
First of all, you should go to a specialist to evaluate your case individually and indicate the most appropriate available treatment. But in general, bariatric operations are assigned for people who have a body mass index of 40 kg/m2 or who have an index of 35 kg/m2 and other problems associated with obesity, such as hypertension, depression, heart failure, hypercholesterolemia, eating disorders, type 2 diabetes, infertility, among others.
When we say that the patient should be evaluated by a specialist, we are actually referring to a team of professionals who will determine the patient’s health, and whether they should undergo any of these operations. Some specialists that should evaluate the patient are a nutritionist, psychiatrist, psychologist, endocrinologist, and, of course, surgeon.
Let’s See What the Options Are
Bariatric surgery is ideal for losing weight when the person has not obtained satisfactory results after trying other traditional measures to lose weight. In recent studies on obesity and bariatric techniques, not only has the difference in results been demonstrated when comparing bariatric surgery with non-operative measures, but it is also associated with a 10-year maintenance of 14%-25% in weight reduction.
Another benefit of bariatric surgery is that it provides a protective effect on the health of people with obesity since it achieves a 24% reduction in mortality risk.
The three most popular obesity surgeries are:
Intragastric Balloon to Lose Weight Without Surgery
It is not a proper surgery since it is not necessary to make incisions to place the intragastric balloon inside the stomach. This technique consists of introducing the intragastric balloon, which is a latex sphere, with the help of an endoscope in the upper part of the stomach, where it is kept for six months. This process means that you need to eat less food to feel satiated and as a result, you can lose between 10 and 15 kilos.
However, some doctors state that people usually gain weight after removing the intragastric balloon. So in many cases, it is performed as a preoperative method in people with super obesity so they can lose weight before undergoing bariatric surgery.
Gastric Bypass
This minimally invasive surgery is the most in demand for its positive results in weight loss and in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In addition, doctors point out that gastric bypass is the technique of choice in so-called ‘patients with a sweet tooth’ with a marked tendency to ingest liquids and hypercaloric substances such as sweets.
The gastric bypass combines the restrictive technique with the malabsorptive to achieve a double effect of reducing the stomach and the absorption of fats. For this, it is necessary to modify the size of the stomach and the anatomy of the intestine. Regarding the gastric bypass results, the professionals indicate that the weight loss is 60-70% in three years, similar to the tubular gastrectomy, with mortality lower than 0.25%.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
This bariatric surgery is one of the most recent techniques. It is used above all in people with obesity who have undergone other types of operations and cannot opt for gastric bypass. The tube gastrectomy is a restrictive technique that modifies the stomach size so that the person feels satiated without consuming much food.
The gastric tube consists of almost total extirpation in the longitudinal direction of the stomach, leaving a tubular gastric reservoir on the slope of the lesser curvature over an orogastric tube that serves as a guide. With this bariatric surgery, up to 84.5% of excess weight is lost in a period of three years and between 45% and 60% after five years. These figures are similar to those of gastric bypass.
One of the advantages of this method is that there are no major side effects. Although the suture line may reveal leaks and, on occasions, strictures that require endoscopic dilations have been detected after surgery, there are few long-term complications associated with the procedure. Of course, it is crucial to follow the nutritional recommendations of the specialists after the operation to avoid a vitamin B12 deficiency.
It must also be taken into account that this obesity treatment does not prevent the consumption of alcoholic and hypercaloric beverages, so there is a risk that this could end up boycotting the goal of losing weight. Therefore, it is best to follow the instructions of specialists at all times.
Contraindications
In general, there are contraindications for bariatric surgery. If you meet any of the following characteristics, you are probably not a suitable candidate:
- Psychiatric disorders.
- Drug and/or alcohol addiction.
- Motor alterations of the esophagus (to practice the gastric sleeve).
- Presence of uncontrolled cancer.
If you want to make a change in your life and start losing weight but do not know where to start, you can visit westmedical.com for information on these weight loss methods.
Conclusion
Finally, doctors conclude that obesity surgery should be considered a valid option for patients who need to lose weight in order to reduce the morbidities associated with being overweight. You will get the best result if several specialists carry out this process.
