About Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is used to change the anatomy of your digestive system to aid in weight loss. There are different types of Bariatric surgery, but their goal is similar to decrease the amount of food you consume. This is achieved by either decreasing the size of your stomach or by limiting the amount of nutrients you absorb.

History

• There are millions of people in the United States that are overweight or obese; this obesity leads to a number of health related problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Obesity is described as in terms of the body mass index (BMI). The BMI is calculated using an individual's height and weight, where the weight in kilograms is divided by the height squared. If your BMI is over 30 then you are considered obese, and a BMI of 40 plus, an individual is considered morbidly obese. Doctors offer bariatric surgery to patients who are severely obese, where lifestyle changes have been ineffective.

Considerations

• If you are considering bariatric surgery, weigh all the possible risks with the benefits. Your doctor can help you to make your decision. Bariatric surgery is not in itself a solution if not accompanied by the necessary lifestyle and diet changes. 10 percent of people undergoing this surgery are unsuccessful at losing weight based on their inability to stay true to the new lifestyle or due to complications caused by the surgery.

Types

• There are four different types of bariatric surgery; all four requiring an incision in the abdomen. The incision is either a small laparoscopic incision or an open incision (8 to 10 inch incision). The first type is the Adjustable Gastric Banding (AGB). An adjustable gastric band is put around the opening from the esophagus to the stomach. The band is adjusted by inflating or deflating it via a port that is placed under the skin. This band constricts the amount of food that is eaten. The second type is the Gastric Bypass (GB). In this surgery the size of the stomach is reduced permanently. The surgeon reduces the stomach to the size of an egg and then clamps the entrance into the stomach. The stomach and a portion of the small intestine are then bypassed. The Gastric Sleeve surgery (GS) only restricts the amount of food ingested, by removing only a portion of the stomach. The fourth type is a Biliopancreatic Bypass with a Duodenal switch (BPD) where a portion of the stomach is removed, and the top of the small intestine and duodenum is removed completely.

Function

• In a normal digestive system, the food consumed moves from the mouth to the stomach, through the digestive tract being digested by enzymes, and along the way nutrients and calories are absorbed by the body. The stomach is able to hold up to 3 pints of food, once the food is done with digestion in the stomach, the food moves into the small intestine where it is further digested, and as it moves on it is further digested and absorbed. Bariatric surgery interferes with the amount of food the body can comfortably hold and also can interfere with the body's ability to absorb some of the calories.

Warning

• Like any other surgical procedure, Bariatric Surgery has risks and complications such as bleeding, infection and leaks from the surgical location. Patients can also develop blood clots that can travel to the heart or lung where they can be fatal. Malnutrition can occur if patients don't take their prescribed vitamins and supplements, which can lead to another set of complicated diseases. Hernias are another complication that can occur at the location where the incision or scar is located in the intestine. The hernia causes a bulge that can block the digestive tract.