Why do you have sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
Which patients can have this surgery?
What are the risks of sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
Recovery process and things to do after the surgery
What are the advantages of sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
How much is sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
Sleeve gastrectomy surgery is a surgical weight-loss method. The main purpose of this method is to reduce stomach size and limit the amount of food that the patient can eat.
Two different obesity surgery methods are followed in sleeve gastrectomy. These are gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy. The most commonly preferred method among these two is the sleeve gastrectomy.
This laparoscopic surgery approximately takes 1-1.5 hours. The sleeve gastrectomy surgery involves using small incisions in the upper abdomen region for the surgery. Approximately 80% of the stomach is removed during the surgery and a banana-sized tube-shaped stomach is left behind. Therefore, this method is called sleeve gastrectomy.
The gastric balloon which among sleeve gastrectomy methods is a non-surgical endoscopic method. The gastric balloon is left in the stomach for 6 months; in this period, the stomach volume decreases and the patient loses weight.
Why do you have sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
Sleeve gastrectomy surgery is among the most effective obesity treatments and the patient is operated for healthy weight loss. With this surgery, while the stomach volume is decreased, hormonal changes to help weight loss are encouraged. The same hormonal changes help to decrease health problems and health risks associated with excessive weight.
These health problems can be listed as follows:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disorder
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
- Type-2 diabetes
- Stroke
- Infertility
Which patients can have this surgery?
Generally, sleeve gastrectomy is an effective weight-loss method for patients between 18-65 years old.
- Patients with body mass index (BMI) 40 or higher and with morbid obese diagnosis,
- Obese patients with body mass index between 35-39.9,
- Patients with weight-related serious health problems such as type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure or intense sleep apnoea,
- Individuals who tried other weight loss methods (diet, exercise etc.) but couldn’t get results
can have sleeve gastrectomy surgery.
On the other hand, it is important for patients who will have the surgery to be willing to adopt a healthy lifestyle in terms of future success.
What are the risks of sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
As in almost all surgical methods, sleeve gastrectomy surgery might also pose short- or long-term potential health risks.
These risks can be listed as follows:
- Excessive bleeding
- Infections
- Negative anaesthesia reaction
- Blood clots
- Lung or respiratory problems
- Leakage from stomach incisions.
Over the long-term, there might be gastrointestinal obstruction, hernia, low blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia), gall bladder problems or malnutrition risks.
Sleeve gastrectomy surgery rarely leads to fatal complications.
Recovery process and things to do after the surgery
Generally, patients are discarded 4 days after the sleeve gastrectomy surgery depending on the general recovery of the individual. When the patient is back home, it is important to regulate water consumption in the recovery period. Since there might be problems with swallowing during the first stages, liquids should be consumed with small bites. Water consumptions for the first weeks after the surgery must not be less than 1.5 litres. Expert support is necessary for nutrition.
After the sleeve gastrectomy surgery, patients should
Completely follow the diet program,
Consume frequent and small portions,
Chew the food very well,
Exercise regularly,
Be careful about daily water consumption,
Go to routine check-ups,
Be careful about vitamin and mineral supports.
What are the advantages of sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
Since sleeve gastrectomy surgery does not involve cutting, separating or changing the intestines, it is less invasive than other bariatric operations. This decreases various surgical complication risks.
The recovery period is short.
Although the stomach is smaller, it works normally. Thus, patients can tolerate most of the food when consumed in small portions.
Since the hunger hormone (ghrelin) producing section of the stomach is removed, the appetite decreases. Patients feel fuller with less food and they are not hungry frequently.
The stomach creates less acid secretion and this also reduced the ulcer risk.
Since the intestine is intact, the risk for intestine blockage, anaemia, osteoporosis and protein and vitamin deficiencies are lower.
How much is sleeve gastrectomy surgery?
The sleeve gastrectomy surgery price depends on various factors such as the expertise of the surgeon, the conditions of the hospital, the technological properties of the surgical equipment. Patients can have a free pre-appointment with the surgeon and learn more about the surgery price and details.
