Additional Weight Loss Surgery Information
Bariatric surgery produces weight loss by restricting food intake and, in some cases, interfering with nutrition through malabsorption. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery must also commit to a lifetime of healthy eating and regular physical activity. These healthy habits help ensure that the weight loss from surgery is successfully maintained.
The Adjustable Gastric Lap Band works primarily by decreasing food intake. Food intake is limited by placing a small bracelet-like band around the top of the stomach to produce a small pouch about the size of a thumb. The outlet size is controlled by a circular balloon inside the band that can be inflated or deflated with saline solution to meet the needs of the patient.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass works by restricting food intake and by decreasing the absorption of food. Food intake is limited by a small pouch that is similar in size to the adjustable gastric band. In addition, absorption of food in the digestive tract is reduced by excluding most of the stomach, duodenum, and upper intestine from contact with food by routing food directly from the pouch into the small intestine.
The difference between Open and Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery:
Bariatric surgery may be performed through “open” approaches, which make abdominal incisions in the traditional manner, or by laparoscopy. With the laparoscopic approach, sophisticated instruments are inserted through 1/2-inch incisions and guided by a small camera that sends images to a television monitor. Most bariatric surgery today is performed laparoscopically because it requires a smaller cut, creates less tissue damage, leads to earlier discharges from the hospital, and has fewer complications, especially postoperative hernias.
However, not all patients are suitable for laparoscopy. Patients who are extremely obese, who have had previous abdominal surgery, or have complicating medical problems may require the open approach.
Bariatric Surgery for Adolescents
Rates of obesity among youth are on the rise. Bariatric surgery is sometimes considered as a treatment option for adolescents who have developed extreme obesity. Although it is becoming clear that adolescents can lose weight following bariatric surgery, there are numerous unanswered questions about the long-term effects of these operations on adolescents’ developing bodies and minds.
Candidates should have tried to lose weight conventionally for at lease six months and should be extremely obese (typically with BMI greater than 40), have reached their adult height (usually 13 or older for girls and 15 or older for boys), and have serious weight-related health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease.
Additional Reading Clinical Guidelines include articles for Obesity Prevention for adults and articles about Teenage Obesity designed to teach pre-teens and teenagers about the complex world around them and how the media with it's ads can affect their nutrition and thus their weight.
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