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Frequently
Asked Questions
about
Weight Loss Surgery |
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What is morbid obesity?
Obesity is defined as being more than 100 pounds
over one’s ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index
(BMI) of 40 or greater.
A formula based on height and weight is used to
calculate BMI.
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What are the risks of being morbidly obese?
Obesity is now considered the leading cause of
preventable death in the United States with almost 1000
deaths per day. Besides
this fact, obesity can lead to medical conditions such as
high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, snoring, heartburn
and some types of cancer.
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How can I lose weight?
Only 1 out of 20 people succeed with long-term weight loss by
diet and exercise. The
remaining 95% of people struggle with their weight.
Despite short-term success with some diet and
exercise regimens, most ultimately regain the lost weight
and sometimes more. For these people, the answer may be weight loss surgery.
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Who qualifies for weight loss surgery?
The National Institutes of Health has declared that surgery
is an appropriate solution for morbid obesity.
Candidates for surgery must meet the following
criteria:
- obesity
for several years
- documented
numerous attempts at weight loss
- one
of the following:
- greater
than 100 pounds over ideal body weight
- BMI
of 35 or greater with illnesses related to obesity
- BMI
of 40 or greater
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What types of weight loss surgery can be done?
Gastric Bypass – The stomach is divided to
create a small upper portion, called a pouch, which fills up
quickly and restricts the volume of food that one can eat.
The pouch is connected to intestine creating a bypass of the
normal digestive process.
This causes the food that is ingested not to be as
well absorbed as before.
As a result of surgery, substantial weight loss
occurs by eating less and absorbing less of what is eaten.
The operation is performed “open”, meaning via a
large incision, or laparoscopically, utilizing a small
camera and instruments through six ˝ inch incisions.
 Adjustable Gastric Band – A synthetic ring, or
band, is placed around the upper part of the stomach
restricting the amount of food a person can eat during a
meal. The
stomach is not divided, nor is there any rearrangement of
the intestines. The band is adjustable so that the doctor
can help you lose weight and not be hungry.
The operation is typically performed
laparoscopically, using the aid of a small camera and
instruments through five ˝ inch incisions.
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What are the risks of weight loss surgery?
Some of the risks involved with weight loss surgery include
the following:
- Leaks
(2-4%) – This is a situation when a connection from a
gastric bypass procedure is not well healed and stomach
or intestinal contents can spill into the abdominal
cavity.
- Pulmonary
Embolism (0.5-1%) - This can occur when blood clots
originating in the legs travel up to the lungs and block
one of the lung’s blood vessels.
- Infection
(0.1-1%) – This may be seen with any type of surgery.
If it happens after a gastric band placement, the
band may need to be removed and replaced at a later
date.
- Death
(0.2-1%) – This is usually due to pulmonary embolism
or leaks that are not recognized promptly.
Note: The percentages above are based on a review of
large-scale studies.
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What
are the benefits of weight loss surgery?
Depending
on the procedure, most patients will lose anywhere from 40
to 75% of their excess body weight.
Gastric bypass patients will lose approximately 60 to
75% and gastric band patients can expect to lose 40 to 60%.
More importantly, obesity related illnesses may
improve dramatically or completely resolve.
There is greater than a 90% “cure” rate for type
II diabetics.
Other medical problems that improve include high
blood pressure, high cholesterol, heartburn, asthma,
osteoarthritis and more.
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