Get to know the benefits and risks of 3 popular options<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve tried every diet and exercised yourself into submission \u2014 but you\u2019re still not losing any weight. If you\u2019re among the one-third of Americans considered obese, bariatric surgery just maybe what the doctor ordered.<\/p>\n
The two most common weight loss procedures are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor an average patient with severe obesity, both procedures are good options since they are relatively similar,\u201d says bariatric surgeon\u00a0Ali Aminian, MD<\/a>. But there are some considerations that might tip the scales (pun intended) in favor of one over another.<\/p>\n How can you decide which\u00a0weight loss surgery<\/a>\u00a0is best for you? Dr. Aminian breaks down the options.<\/p>\n You are eligible for bariatric surgery if your body mass index (BMI) is:<\/p>\n But finding the right procedure requires a discussion between you and your bariatric surgeon. \u201cWe consider the patient\u2019s history, conditions and expectations. Then we come up with a plan together,\u201d says Dr. Aminian.<\/p>\n Today, doctors perform almost all bariatric surgical procedures using minimally invasive techniques. That means smaller incisions (usually five or six in the abdomen) and faster recoveries. Most patients go home the day after surgery and recover in two to three weeks.<\/p>\n The basics:<\/strong>\u00a0Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is an operation that shrinks your stomach, along with the amount of calories and fat your body absorbs.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>We disconnect the stomach on the top part and make a small pouch there. We then bring a loop of a small intestine up and connect it to that pouch, rerouting the GI (gastrointestinal) tract,\u201d explains Dr. Aminian. \u201cWhen the patient eats food, it enters the small intestine directly. We bypass 90 to 95% of the stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n The benefits:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cGastric bypass is a more powerful tool than sleeve gastrectomy. Patients usually lose 10 to 20 pounds more with it. Rerouting the GI tract leads to some favorable hormonal changes, so the chance for diabetes improvement is higher as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Who it\u2019s good for:<\/strong><\/p>\n The basics:<\/strong>\u00a0Also known as the gastric sleeve, sleeve gastrectomy surgery involves operating only on the stomach. Surgeons remove around 80 to 85% of it, leaving a smaller \u201csleeve\u201d in its place.<\/p>\n The benefits:<\/strong>\u00a0Dr. Aminian says the sleeve is a bit safer than gastric bypass: The risk of all complications is 3% after sleeve vs. 5% with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.<\/p>\n Who it\u2019s good for:<\/strong><\/p>\n The basics:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Duodenal switch surgery is what would happen if sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass had a baby. During this procedure, bariatric surgeons remove part of the stomach to create the trademark sleeve. Then they do a more extensive version of gastric bypass surgery. The result? The potential for even more weight loss and greater metabolic effects.<\/p>\n It may seem like the best of both worlds until you consider there\u2019s a higher risk for surgical complications because surgeons are doing more to alter your anatomy.\u00a0 That\u2019s why only 1 to 2% of bariatric surgeries done in the U.S. are duodenal switches. If you want to go this route, it\u2019s critical to find an experienced surgeon and center.<\/p>\n The benefits:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Patients tend to lose even more weight than with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. It can conquer diabetes, too.<\/p>\n Who it\u2019s good for:<\/strong><\/p>\n Get to know the benefits and risks of 3 popular options You\u2019ve tried every diet and exercised yourself into submission \u2014 but you\u2019re still not losing any weight. If you\u2019re among the one-third of Americans considered obese, bariatric surgery just maybe what the doctor ordered. The two most common weight loss procedures are Roux-en-Y gastric […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[148],"tags":[163],"class_list":["post-8725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weight-loss","tag-weight-loss"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8727,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8725\/revisions\/8727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caresurgeryclinic.com\/beta2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Bariatric surgery options<\/h3>\n
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Gastric bypass surgery<\/h3>\n
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Sleeve gastrectomy surgery<\/h3>\n
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Duodenal switch<\/h3>\n
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