Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve and Gastric Bypass

Bariatric Weight Loss

Surgical weight loss management has been evolving and our Bay Surgical Weight Loss surgeons help patients choose the right procedure for them. Two procedures that we commonly recommend are the laparoscopic gastric sleeve and the laparoscopic gastric bypass. We find that patients enjoy the quicker recovery time and minimal incision points.

Difference between a Gastric Sleeve and a Gastric Bypass

The main differences between a sleeve gastrectomy and a bypass gastrectomy are the reshaping of the stomach and the technical procedures to complete the surgery. During a gastric bypass, the doctor surgically reshapes the stomach into a smaller pouch shape and makes changes to the small intestine to connect to the smaller stomach section. The changes include bypassing a large portion of the stomach, the duodenum and a portion of the jejunum sections of the intestines, which reduces the area for calorie absorption. The sleeve is different because it reshapes your stomach but does not bypass any portion of your intestinal track. This allows for additional area for nutritional absorption in the small intestines. Typically a bypass pouch will hold less food than the stomach area left by the sleeve procedure.

Both procedures have similar weight loss results and long-term success at the 5-year mark. The sleeve isa newer innovation and studies are still being conducted. There are pros and cons to each and the surgical team can help answer those questions for you.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

When a patient chooses the gastric sleeve, they will go through our holistic program to determine if they are a good candidate. Our surgical team, a nutritionist, a fitness consultant and a clinical psychologist will meet with the patient to work through the weight loss journey before and after surgery. When it is time for surgery, the patient will be given general anesthesia and the surgeon will make a series of small incisions or medical tools and the laparoscopic camera. The surgeon will inspect the stomach and insert a tube to determine the size of the post-surgery stomach.A surgical stapler is used to divide the stomach. Approximately 20-25% of the original stomach will remain intact and the remainder removed completely. The surgeon will need only a few stitches to close the incisions. This type of surgery takes less than two hours and recovery in the hospital is minimal.After the procedure patients will be monitored by our medical staff, nutritionist, fitness consultant and have the option to participate in a therapeutic support group.

Gastric Bypass or Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

When a patient chooses a gastric bypass, they will go through our holistic program to determine if they are a good candidate. Our surgical team, a nutritionist, a fitness consultant and a clinical psychologist will meet with the patient to work through the weight loss journey before and after surgery. When it is time for surgery, the patient will be given general anesthesia and the surgeon will make a series of small incisions for medical tools and the laparoscopic camera. The surgeon will inspect the stomach. They will use a surgical stapler to divide the stomach into a small pouch section which will hold a few ounces of food. Then they will make an incision into the jejunum and connect the jejunum to the stomach pouch. A large portion of the stomach, the entire duodenum and a portion of the jejunum will be bypassed to give less surface area for calorie and nutrition absorption. The surgeon will need only a few stitches to close the incisions. This type of surgery takes less than four hours and recovery in the hospital is slightly longer than the gastric sleeve. After the procedure patients will be monitored by our medical staff, nutritionist, fitness consultant and have the option to participate in a therapeutic support group.

Bariatric surgery is a body-altering decision and patients face risks similar to other surgeries that involve general anesthesia. Our medical staff can review those risks with you.