Sleeve gastrectomy is a type of weight loss procedure that reconstructs the pathway of food through physical alterations on the stomach. The procedure aims to reduce the amount of food that one can only eat and digest. This leads to less calories absorbed. With this, patients can achieve a healthy and stable weight.
The procedure is suitable for obese patients that have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. It can also help manage the symptoms of obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, infertility, heart diseases, severe sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
Sleeve gastrectomy is preferred by a lot of surgeons and patients due to the benefits that it offers. There are also less complications with sleeve gastrectomy. Learn more about the procedure here including its benefits and side effects.
Procedure
Sleeve gastrectomy surgery is only performed on the stomach to create a small narrow tube. Almost 80% of the stomach is removed, which reduces the amount of food that patients can eat. The remaining stomach is called a sleeve, which has the same size and shape as a banana. This is done by stapling the stomach vertically. The large, curved part of the stomach is removed. However, the area of the stomach responsible for emptying food into the small intestine, pylorus, remains.
The procedure limits the amount of food that the patient can eat, while reducing the calories that their body absorbs. The procedure also causes hormonal changes that may help speed up weight loss. There is a hormone produced on the removed stomach that can causes the feeling of hunger. Since it is removed, patients do not feel hunger as often as normal people do.
The operation is very simple and fast compared to other procedures like gastric bypass surgery. This is because the small intestines remain as is. There are also no implants involved with the surgery.
Benefits
There are many benefits when patients choose sleeve gastrectomy. It is an effective weight loss procedure that is simple, easy, and fast compared to complicated surgeries like gastric bypass. Sleeve gastrectomy also has less complications and side effects because the small intestines are not altered.
While the losing weight is slower and not as significant with gastric bypass, there is less risk of developing severe nutrient deficiency. The procedure itself has lower risk as well. Most of all, patients may develop fewer food intolerance after the procedure compared to gastric bypass. Still, with time, patients can see great results after the surgery is performed.
Side Effects
Like other bariatric surgeries, sleeve gastrectomy is not reversible. This is a permanent change to the stomach and small intestines. Patients can suffer from various side effects including nutrient deficiency, chronic nausea and vomiting, and acid reflux. Some side effects might subside a few months after the surgery.
The procedure also has risks of causing long-term complications for patients. Having hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is one of them. Since patients can experience malabsorption of nutrients, it is important to take bariatric multivitamins. This prevents nutrient deficiency, which is a common side effect of sleeve gastrectomy.
