Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery for Obesity

Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery | Gastric Bypass | Sleeve Gastrectomy | Orlando Obesity is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount of body fat. While fat is important for storing energy, insulating the body and several other functions, the body can only handle a certain amount before body fat begins to interfere with health. Excess fat can significantly impact a person’s quality of life and also increase the risk of serious health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The balance between calorie intake and energy expenditure determines a person’s weight. If you consume more calories than you expend through exercise and daily activities, you gain weight. Aside from diet and exercise, other factors that may contribute to obesity include genetics, pregnancy, emotions, medications and certain medical conditions.

Treating Obesity

Although many people can successfully lose weight through diet and exercise, over 95% of these people will regain their lost weight within five years. Obesity is a serious problem, one that takes a lifelong commitment to overcome; there is no quick fix. For severe cases of obesity, your doctor may recommend weight loss surgery such as gastric bypass, gastric banding or sleeve gastrectomy.

Surgery for obesity is typically performed on patients who are classified as morbidly obese, meaning that they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more, which equals about 100 pounds or more over ideal body weight. Patients who have a BMI of at least 35, but have another medical condition that can be improved with weight loss are also candidates.

There are several different types of bariatric surgery, but most focus on reducing the size of the stomach. This causes patients to feel fuller faster and therefore eat less food. After surgery, a proper balanced diet is required to help lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off. Some of the most common bariatric procedures include:

Gastric Banding – Gastric banding is a surgical procedure designed to help you lose excess body weight and improve weight-related health problems. In this minimally invasive procedure, a hollow band made out of silicone is placed above the upper part of the stomach.

Gastric Bypass – Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery is the most common and successful combined procedure in the United States. It is considered the ‘gold standard’ of bariatric surgery.

Sleeve Gastrectomy – Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten by removing 85% of the stomach.

Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery | Gastric Bypass | Sleeve Gastrectomy | Orlando

Tube Gastrectomy
(Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy)

Laparoscopic Technology for Obesity

Laparoscopic surgery uses a long, thin tube with a camera at the end to help your doctor clearly visualize the targeted area during surgery. The camera and surgical instruments are inserted into the body through several tiny incisions that are carefully placed to minimize scarring and allow for easy concealment. These small incisions also decrease the amount of bleeding during surgery and reduce the risk of infection or other complications.

Types of Laparoscopic Surgery for Obesity

Laparoscopic techniques can be used for nearly any type of weight loss surgery, including gastric bypass, duodenal switch, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric banding. The amount, size and location of the incisions vary depending on each procedure, but are overall less invasive than traditional open surgeries. Laparoscopic surgery only requires a short hospital stay before patients are able to return home and slowly resume their regular activities.

While laparoscopic surgery can offer many advantages to patients, these procedures are not for everybody. It is important to weigh the benefits and risks of laparoscopic surgery with your doctor before deciding upon which surgery is right for you.

Benefits and Risks of Surgery

Weight loss surgery is a major decision for all potential patients to make, as they must understand the benefits, risks and responsibilities associated with their individual procedure. While weight loss surgery usually helps patients lose weight rapidly for 18 to 24 months, they must be committed to maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle in order to continue losing weight and keep it off. While it may seem like a quick fix for weight loss, surgery should be considered after medical treatment. Patients must consider all aspects of the procedure and after care when considering weight loss surgery.

Since these procedures are considered major surgery, they include the risks commonly associated with surgical procedures, including bleeding and infection. Other risks may include leakage, intestinal hernias, marginal ulcers, slippage, erosion, chronic abdominal pain and clots in the lungs. Patients are also at a higher risk of developing gallstones after weight loss surgery.

Single Incision Laparoscopy

While laparoscopic procedures offer many advantages to both patient and doctor, new technology now allows for even more advantages with single incision laparoscopy. This procedure, often performed through the bellybutton, reduces scarring even further and allows for a shorter recovery time.

During a single incision laparoscopic procedure, a half-inch incision is made in the bellybutton, where a flexible camera and surgical instrument are inserted to perform the procedure. These procedures are performed with advanced high-dexterity instruments that allow the surgeon to have precise control despite the limited surgical area. These tools make it possible for more complicated procedures to be performed through a single incision. This offers patients the aesthetic benefit of less scarring, as well as faster recover time, lower risk of bleeding, less pain and less scarring.

Single incision technology can be used to perform:

Gallbladder removal
Appendectomy
Colon resection
Other common gastrointestinal surgeries

It is important for patients interested in single incision laparoscopic procedures to choose a skilled and experienced surgeon to perform their procedure, as this advanced technology requires extreme care in order to prevent complications such as damage to nearby organs.