Sleeve Gastrectomy

• Your surgeon will make 2 to 5 small cuts in your abdomen.

• The surgeon will pass the laparoscope and the instruments needed to perform the surgery through these openings.

• The camera is connected to a video monitor in the operating room. Your surgeon will look at the monitor to see inside your belly.

• Your surgeon will insert thin surgical instruments through the other openings.

• Your surgeon will remove most (about 80 – 85%) your stomach.

The remaining portions of your stomach are joined together using staples. This creates a long vertical tube or banana-shaped stomach.  The surgery does not involve cutting or changing the sphincter muscles that allow food to enter or leave the stomach.  Your surgery may take only 60 – 90 minutes if your surgeon has done many of these procedures.  When you eat after having this surgery, the small pouch will fill up quickly. You will feel full after eating just a very small amount of food.

Sleeve gastrectomy is typically considered as a treatment option for bariatric surgery patients with a BMI of 60 or higher. It is often performed as the first procedure in a two-part treatment. The second part of the treatment can be gastric bypass.

Co-morbid condition resolution 12 to 24 months after sleeve gastrectomy has been reported in 345 patients. Sleeve gastrectomy patients experienced resolution rates for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obstructive sleep apnea that were similar to resolution rates for other restrictive procedures such as gastric banding.

Potential Concerns:
One meta-analysis stated that bariatric surgery patients who experienced significant weight loss had:

• Weight-loss surgery may increase your risk for gallstones. Your doctor may recommend having a cholecystectomy (surgery to remove your gallbladder) before your surgery or at the same time.

• The modifications made to your gastrointestinal tract will require permanent changes in your eating habits that must be adhered to for successful weight loss.

The following are some generally accepted dietary guidelines a bariatric surgery patient may encounter:

• When eating solid food, it is essential that you chew thoroughly. You will not be able to eat chunks of meat if they are not ground or chewed thoroughly.

• Do not drink fluids while eating.

• Omit desserts and other items with sugar listed as the first three ingredients.

• Omit carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements, milk shakes, high-fat foods, and foods with high fiber content.

• Avoid Alcohol

• Limit snacking between meals.

*Remember, guidelines vary by surgeon. It is important to remember that every surgeon does not perform the same procedures and that the dietary guidelines will be different for each surgeon as well as patient. What is most important is that you adhere strictly to your surgeon’s recommended guidelines.