When obesity becomes a medical condition that impacts a person’s life and one is unable to lose weight through the use of non-surgical programs, gastric sleeve surgery can be a possible solution. It is one of the most common surgeries for treating obesity.
During a gastric sleeve surgery also known as bariatric surgery, surgeons remove about 80 per cent of the stomach and staple the remaining part of the stomach into a tabular pouch that resembles a sleeve. This results to a significant reduction of the stomach’s volume and the amount of food that it can hold. Patients are often put under anesthesia during the procedure which is conducted laparoscopically. Contrary to an open surgery, the surgeon makes small incisions into the abdomen to insert a small camera known as laparoscope and surgical instruments.
Despite the encouraging results of gastric sleeve surgery, they are both risks and rewards.
Rewards
The main advantage of gastric sleeve surgery is that you feel satisfied with a small portion of food which eventually leads to weight loss. This is because of two reasons.
First, when the stomach volume is reduced, the amount of hormones and biochemical responsible for making you feel hungry are also reduced.
Second, some people only feel satisfied when their stomach is filled. After gastric sleeve surgery, the space to fill is smaller thereby less food is required. This leads to the consumption of less calories and eventually weight loss.
Weight loss in turn leads to improvement in fatty liver disease, diabetes, blood pressure and many other health conditions.
- Less invasive
Compared to other bariatric surgeries, gastric sleeve surgery is less invasive. It involves less disconnection, cutting or alteration of the small intestines. This reduces many surgical complications.
Since the intestines are not altered, the absorption of vitamins and minerals is minimally affected and a patient does not need dietary supplements afterwards. This also means that the patient can eat everything he used to enjoy before the surgery just in smaller portion.
Risks
The major disadvantage of gastric sleeve surgery is that it is irreversible. A big part of the stomach is removed permanently leaving behind a small pouch.
The small pouch is sensitive to quickly eaten and poorly chewed food. To prevent discomfort and vomiting one has to learn to eat more thoughtfully and slowly.
- The stomach may stretch
Another disadvantage is that when a patient eats the same amount of food they used to eat before the surgery, the stomach may stretch due to constant overfilling. This increases calorie intake and a patient may gain weight.
Also, since gastric sleeve surgery does not limit fluid intake, taking high calorie drinks can cause weight gain.
- Other complications
Similar to other surgical procedures, gastric sleeve surgery has potential risks such as persistent post-operative pain, blood clots, pneumonia, infection, vomiting, nausea, malnutrition, leaking etc.
Although these complications are rare, some patients can experience them.