Your doctor has recommended a laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve to help you lose weight.
This video will help you to understand this surgical treatment option.
We will start by reviewing information about your body and your medical condition.
When we swallow, the esophagus carries food down to the stomach to be digested.
Digestion breaks the food into smaller bits that can be used by the body.
These small bits of digested food then pass to the small intestine where water, fat, protein
and other nutrients are taken up by the body.
Weight loss procedures, also called bariatric surgery make the stomach smaller so that a
person cannot eat as much food as they used to.
This type of surgery is intended for someone who is significantly above their ideal body
weight, has health problems because of the weight, and other treatment options including
diet and exercise have failed to help.
With bariatric surgery up to 80% of people lose weight and keep it off.
Not all of the extra weight is lost, patients tend to lose about half.
For example someone may lose 50 pounds if they are 100 pounds overweight.
Some patients are able to lose more and some lose less.
The weight loss after surgery usually helps
with diabetes, sleep apnea, joint pain and high blood pressure.
Before this procedure, you must work with a care team for up to 6 months to make lifestyle
changes.
This can include a nutritionist, an exercise trainer, and a counselor for support and depression
management.
You may need a sleep study if you have never had one to check your breathing while you
sleep.
Surgery does not guarantee permanent weight loss.
Keeping the weight off depends on you having a healthier lifestyle forever.
It will help your body reset to a new weight but your new good habits keep the weight off.
Recommending surgery as an option is commonly based on a person’s BMI, or body mass index
, which is related to a person’s height and weight.
Surgery may be an option for adults that are
100 pounds overweight or have a BMI of 40.
Surgery may also be advised for a BMI of 35 if there are weight related health problems
such as sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
The laparoscopic gastric sleeve is a procedure that makes the stomach smaller by cutting
away part of it.
It is is shaped like a banana afterwards and can fit less than half a cup of food, or 100
cc’s (say “C” “C’s”).
Since most of the stomach is taken out, it is a permanent procedure.
Benefits of the sleeve procedure are : • a decreased appetite from less of the
hunger hormone Ghrelin (say grel-in), which is made by the section of stomach that is
removed.
• a smaller stomach, so you cannot eat as much,
• and no change to your intestines so vitamins and food can be absorbed normally
There are several different types of bariatric surgery, some are more and some are less invasive
including • Gastric Bypass,
• Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve, • Gastric Banding,
• And Endoscopic Gastric Sleeve
It is very important that you understand why the laparoscopic gastric sleeve has been recommended
for you.
If you have questions, ask.
Your surgeon has recommended a laparoscopic procedure.
A long instrument with a light and camera called a laparoscope is used.
The scope makes it possible to see and operate on hard to reach delicate tissue.
This is minimally invasive surgery that uses very small incisions instead of a classic
large incision.
Healing and return to normal activity is usually faster, with less bleeding and fewer
complications.
With all laparoscopic procedures, the surgical team is prepared to change your surgery to
an open procedure with a larger incision if this becomes necessary.
An open procedure is sometimes needed to treat unexpected bleeding or other findings
during a procedure that make it impossible to use a laparoscope.
If this happens your stay in the hospital and recovery will be longer than you originally
expected.
Now let’s talk a little more about what happens during a Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve
Procedure.
General anesthesia and medications to make you asleep and pain-free during your procedure
are given.
Your abdomen is then carefully filled with carbon dioxide gas, CO2 (say “C” “Oh”
“2”).
4 or 5 small cuts, called incisions are then made to place tools for the procedure.
The surgeon looks at your stomach and intestines for scar tissue or problems that may need
to be fixed before making the sleeve.
Fatty attachments to the outside wall of the stomach are carefully clipped.
A special tool is then used to staple and cut the stomach.
The staples work like stitches to seal the wall of the stomach and stop bleeding.
The surgeon carefully makes the stomach into
a banana shaped tube by placing the staples one section at a time.
Finally a large part of the stomach is cut away and taken out thru one of the small incisions.
The surgeon carefully checks the stomach for bleeding and places extra stitches if needed.
The instruments and gas are removed, incisions are closed and dressings are placed.