Basic Information Regarding Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

By Kevin Lee


Bariatric surgery is also called weight loss surgery and it refers to a wide variety of surgical procedures performed to correct obesity in people. The procedure achieves weight reduction by removing a section of the stomach or using a gastric band to reduce its size. The process may also correct or reduce obesity by resecting and re-routing the small intestine into a pouch. When in need of experts in bariatric weight loss surgery, New York is the place to visit.

According to research findings, considerable loss in weight results from this process. Additional benefits that result from these surgeries include improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, a 23-40 percent reduction in mortality rates, and recovery from diabetes. The operation has been found to be less effective on old people and those with severe levels of obesity. Among these people, only minor reductions in obesity can be observed after seven years or beyond.

Bariatric surgery may not be suitable for everyone. It is recommended that one only consider the procedure when their BMI is at least 40. People with BMI of 35 and diabetes or a similar coexisting medical condition should also seek the treatment. However, there is still no clear consensus on the value of BMI that should patients should be considered suitable candidates for this treatment option.

Bariatric surgery refers to a collection of surgical operations that may be classified into three main classes. The three classes are made of several operations including predominantly malabsorptive procedures, endoluminal sleeve, biliopancreatic diversion, jejunoileal bypass, vertical banded gastroplasty, and predominatly restrictive procedures. Other operations include sleeve gastrectomy, intragastric baloon, adjustable gastric band, and gastric plication.

Solid foods cannot be taken immediately after undergoing the procedure. The diet should be composed of liquid meals such as gelatin desserts, sugar-free drinks, diluted fruit juice, and clear broth among many other foods. Until a full recovery has been made, the liquid diet must be maintained. After recovery, one can change the diet and start taking pureed or blended sugar-free diet.

The pureed diet may be composed of soft meats, protein shakes, and products made from diary. During the first few weeks after the surgical procedure is done, one should avoid taking food that contain high amounts of carbohydrates. One should also avoid over-eating because that may lead to one exceeding the full capacity of the stomach, which may lead to nausea and vomiting. There may be some restrictions placed on the diet one can take depending on the type of procedure done to them.

Several factors influence how much is paid for the operation. Some of the factors include geographical location, type of operation done, mode of payment, and hospital and surgical practice among others. The cost for each of the procedures differs. However, on average, the costs range between 15000 and 27000 US Dollars.

The patient is usually given a quotation for the whole process which includes cost for surgical assistant, anesthesia, implanted devices, surgeon, and day-of-surgery fees. In most cases, the quoted amount will exclude fees for pre-operation, post-operation, and longer-term follow ups.




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