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Sleeve gastrectomy
This safe and effective laparoscopic procedure involves remov-
ing 80% of the stomach and turning it into a tubular banana-
shaped pouch. The procedure does not involve intestinal bypass. After
surgery, patients have very good hunger control, feel full after eating
small portions and typically experience 80 to 100 pounds of weight
loss within a year. Most patients keep the weight off long term,
although some struggle with chronic progressive disease and will
regain some weight over time.
Sleeve gastrectomy has evolved into today's most popular weight-
loss surgery, mostly because patients easily understand the concept,
the procedure has an excellent safety profile with very few long-term
associated complications, and it results in predictable and relatively
fast weight loss. The majority of patients who undergo sleeve gastrec-
tomy want to manage their weight and metabolic disease, but the pro-
cedure can also prepare patients for other needed procedures. For that
reason, it's a great bridge to additional treatment for patients who are
too heavy to undergo, for example, large hernia repair or joint replace-
ment surgery. It's also ideally suited for patients who are ineligible for
gastric bypass due to prior surgery or other conditions that would
make the bypass unsafe. With this procedure, surgeons have been able
to help patients who otherwise wouldn't be able to effectively treat
their obesity.
Patients who are severely obese are at increased risk of respiratory
issues and the surgery itself can be challenging to perform because of
patients' increased body mass. For those reasons, most procedures
are done in the inpatient setting with an overnight stay. However,
there are some surgeons who perform it in the ambulatory setting at
accredited Bariatric Centers of Excellence, which must meet several
national safety standards in order to perform the procedures.
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