Obesity has become a national epidemic. You read about it daily in magazines, newspapers and on the web. Obesity contributes to heart disease, diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea - and these are only a few of the negative health affects.
It is well documented that exercise and eating right are the best ways to lose weight, but for many people these methods are unsuccessful. It is then that people turn to weight loss/bariatric surgery for help.
Weightloss/Bariatric Surgery
Benefits of Weightloss/Bariatric Surgery
Weight loss surgery generally results in greater weight loss than conventional treatment, and leads to improvements in quality of life and obesity related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
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Criteria for Weightloss/Bariatric Surgery
Before someone can become eligible for bariatric surgery, certain criteria must be met:
- Body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, which is about 45 kg (100 pounds) overweight for men and 35 kg (80 pounds) for women; or
- BMI between 35 and 39.9 and a serious obesity-related health problem such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or severe sleep apnea (when breathing stops for short periods during sleep)
In addition, other, non-surgical attempts at weight loss (diet, exercise, medical intervention) must also be documented.
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Types of Weightloss/Bariatric Surgery
- Gastric Banding or Lap Band - The band is placed around the very top portion of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch. Creating this restricted stomach space in the upper portion of the stomach causes a longer lasting feeling of fullness or lack of hunger.
View additional information on gastric banding or lap banding.
- Gastric Bypass - Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. Patient feel full more quickly than when their stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food eaten and thus the calories consumed. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed.
View additional information on gastric bypass.
- Robotic Procedures - a minimally invasive surgical technique used to perform the gastric bypass procedure.
View additional information on robotic procedures.
- Laproscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (Gastric Sleeve) - Sleeve gastrectomy is a surgery performed on the stomach, in which two-thirds of the stomach is removed. This restricts food intake, typically resulting in quicker satiety (sense of fullness) and decreased appetite.
View additional information on gastric sleeve procedures.
Weightloss/Bariatric Surgeons
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