Weight Loss Bariatric Surgery

What Is Bariatric Surgery?

Weight loss bariatric surgery is a procedure performed on a patient's stomach and/or intestines. The goal of weight loss bariatric surgery is to help a morbidly obese person lose weight after attempts at dieting, exercise, and other non-surgical methods have not been successful.

Weight loss bariatric surgery is generally a possibility when the patient has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher, or is 100 pounds overweight. Weight loss bariatric surgery, which is often simply called bariatric surgery, may also be an option for someone with a Body Mass Index between 35 and 40 if the patient has heart problems or type 2 diabetes.

What is bariatric surgery? It's a surgical procedure that limits food intake and, in some cases, diverts food through the intestines so that less food is absorbed and the body stores fewer calories.

This article provides information of different types of bariatric surgery.

History of bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery as a weight loss procedure developed when doctors noticed that patients often lost weight after parts of the stomach were removed.

Bariatric surgical procedures gained recognition as a valid weight loss treatment in the mid-1960's. The best known work was done by Drs. Mason and Ito. Since then, the gastric bypass form of bariatric surgery has changed. The most popular current form is the Roux-en-Y, or RYGBP. The RYGBP is the most commonly performed operation for weight loss in the United States.

Approximately 150,000 gastric bypass surgeries are done each year in the United States alone.

How does weight loss bariatric surgery work?

Bariatric surgery can change the digestive process in two ways:

• by closing off parts of the stomach, thus reducing the size of the stomach pouch. Bariatric procedures of this type are called "restrictive" procedures because they restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold. By doing so, the patient has less of an appetite and eats less food.
• by combining a smaller stomach pouch with a procedure in which the small intestine (which actually absorbs food passed to it from the stomach) is bypassed. Since less food passes through the small intestine, fewer calories are absorbed and less fat is stored in the body.

What types of bariatric surgery are there?

There are a number of types of bariatric surgery methods performed today. The patient's medical history and current health determine which type is best.

Here's information on eight recognized types of bariatric surgery:

• the Laproscopic Bariatric surgery,
• the Bariatric bypass surgery,
• the Roux-en-y (RNY),
• the Duodenal Switch (DS),
• the Biliopancreatic Diversion (BD),
• the Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (VBG),
• the Sapala-Wood Micropouch, and
• Adjustable Gastric Banding (AGB).

Each type of bariatric surgery has benefits and disadvantages. The decision of which one is most suited for a particular individual should be a matter of discussion between the patient and his or her medical professionals.

Approximately one third of all United States citizens are considered to be obese. Obesity is now considered the number one danger to the overall health of the liver (surpassing cirrhosis). Obesity, of course, places a huge strain on the heart and circulatory system, and is a major cause for concern for anyone with type 2 diabetes.

Bariatric surgery is the only realistic answer for many of these Americans, and is worthy of consideration, in consultation with qualified medical professionals, when diet and exercise have not produced the weight loss desired.

Also see: Bariatric Surgery Diets: what to eat, how to eat after bariatric surgery.