|  The Gastric Sleeve procedure is a relatively new approach to bariatric surgery. The procedure is non-reversible, and involves removing up to 60% of the stomach with a stapling device so that a stomach ‘tube’ remains. The resultant smaller stomach reduces the the amount of food a patient eats before feeling full. The procedure also reduces the patient’s overall appetite by removing the portion of the stomach that creates the hormones that control appetite.
The gastric sleeve surgery is typically performed laparoscopically, resulting in less pain and scarring, reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and reduced risk of internal organ damage and infection when compared to the traditional open incision technique. The gastric sleeve operation is usually performed on morbidly obese or high risk patients with the intention of performing another surgery such as the gastric by-pass at a later time. This combined approach has dramatically decreased the risk of weight loss surgery for certain types of weight loss surgery patients, even when the risk of the two surgeries is added. Most gastric sleeve surgery patients lose 30 to 50% of their excess body weight over a 6 - 12 month period, and enjoy a reduction in the complications of obesity, including sleep apnea, asthma, joint pain, arthritis, reflux, fatigue, shortness of breath. |