Safe Weight Loss Surgery

Many modern weight loss surgeries have few serious complications. They should always be taken seriously because they are surgery, and with any surgery there are risks, but surgical weight loss procedures have come a long way in producing desired results with the least amount of problems. There are quite a few types of weight loss surgeries done in various parts of the world, but the three covered here are most common.

Types Of Weight Loss Surgery

• Vertical Banded Gastroplasty: The term "banded" is a little bit of a misnomer in this surgery as there is no band used. In a VBG two staples are inserted into the stomach in a vertical manner to effectively reduce the capacity of the stomach. This is a fairly outdated form of weight loss surgery and is rarely used today because it has the most common complications associated with surgery, such as infections, that can be fatal.

  Gastric Bypass: The stomach is stapled to make it smaller as in the Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, but it is also then attached to the midsection of the small intestines rather completely eliminating the large intestine where much of the food is absorbed into the system. Many mild side effects are common with this surgery and include nausea, fainting, diarrhea and weakness. There are also many very possibly severe complications including infections, pulmonary embolisms and nutritional deficiencies, some of which can be fatal or require constant monitoring for the reminder of the patient's life.

  Lap Band: In this surgery an actual tube or "band" is placed around the stomach and then inflated to cut the size of the stomach capacity to the desired level. There are many possible side effects of this surgery but most of them are relatively mild, such as heartburn, indigestion and nausea. If problems arise that are more severe, or the band slips, it can be removed but otherwise is left in place for the life of the patient.

Safest Weight Loss Surgery

• Lap band surgery has the lowest number of serious complications associated with it. Lap band surgery is still surgery, and any time incisions are made in the body the chance of infections and other problems exist. What makes lap band surgeries less problematic than more intrusive surgeries is the fact that it is done by laparoscopy, meaning three very small incisions are made through which the surgeon completes the surgery using microscopic tools to view the internal organs. Another reason lap band surgeries are somewhat safer is that the band can be adjusted easily or even removed if necessary. A new procedure that only requires one single incision is currently being developed that will minimize the risks even further.

Risks

• Some of the more serious risks of weight loss surgery are limited in lap band procedures but still possible. Two major surgical complications: pulmonary embolisms and Atelectasis are largely due to the inactivity that happens as a result of recovery immediately following surgery. These are less common in lap band procedures because of the laparoscopic method of doing the surgery and the very short recovery times associated with such a less invasive surgery. Bowel blockage and stomach leakage that happen with other types of weight loss surgeries are less common with lap band surgeries because it does not involve cutting or stapling the stomach, or re-routing the intestines in any way.

  Wound infections are common with any surgery. Even though the incisions used in lap band procedures are very small, they can still become infected and should be cared for as instructed by your physician to avoid complications. Band slipping is the most common complication following a lap band procedure and can be avoided by following a liquid diet for at least a month after the operation as recommended by your doctor. If your band does slip it can usually be adjusted with a second laparoscopic procedure or, if necessary, removed.

Recovery

• Lap band recovery is normally very rapid. The incisions are so small patients can usually get back to a regular schedule in 2 to 3 days baring any heavy lifting or strenuous activities. Other types of weight loss surgeries take 2 to 3 weeks to resume a light schedule due to the full incisions and abdominal invasion.

Success Rates

• In 2003, the American Medical Association stated that weight loss surgeries are still investigational, and it wasn't known if these operations were beneficial. The reasons for those statements were largely supported by the tendency for those that did lose weight initially following the surgery to gain it back again within 2 to 5 years. Like any good weight loss aide the patient must follow a sensible and healthy diet and exercise plan. Those that do continue along a prescribed path of healthy lifestyle choices are largely successful.

Recommendations

• Because of the inherent risks involved with any surgical procedure and the fact that the success rates are still under investigation, weight loss surgeries are only recommended for patients more than 100 pounds overweight for whom other weight loss plans have failed repeatedly. Usually patients are also required to have medical complications as a result of morbid obesity before they are considered a candidate for weight loss surgery.