Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is an effective weight-loss tool for those who exhausted other more conservative weight loss options. However, while surgery to lose weight and improve the diseases associated with excess weight may seem drastic, obesity is far more dangerous in many patients. The risks of bariatric surgery in qualifying patients, when utilizing experienced surgeons such as ours, are about the same as having a gallbladder removed.

Weight loss surgery is simply a tool to assist the patient in losing weight and improving or resolving the diseases associated with obesity. This does not mean that procedure alone will allow the patient to realize their potential weight loss.  All patients will have to dedicate themselves to a new and improved lifestyle that includes better nutrition and diet and a long-term exercise regimen. While this may seem daunting, it’s incredible how a healthy lifestyle becomes “normal” within just a few months, setting the stage for long-term success.

The bariatric procedures we offer either restrict the amount of food a patient can eat or combine this restriction with malabsorption (fewer calories being absorbed through the small intestine).

The most common procedures we offer include:

Gastric Bypass

Once the most commonly performed bariatric surgery in the United States, the gastric bypass was for a time the gold standard in weight loss and obesity disease-related improvement, especially for those who have adult-onset diabetes and chronic acid reflux. The gastric bypass combines restriction with malabsorption and offers the second greatest weight loss potential of the procedures we offer, topped only by the duodenal switch. The gastric bypass is also known as the roux-en-y gastric bypass. Learn more about gastric bypass surgery.

Gastric Sleeve

The most popular weight loss surgery procedure in the United States, the gastric sleeve was exclusively used as the first part of a two-stage duodenal switch. Surgeons and patients appreciated the simplicity of the procedure and its effectiveness in disease resolution. It is considered a major bariatric procedure covered by most insurance companies, including Medicare. The gastric sleeve simply cuts away approximately 70 to 80% of the existing stomach pouch, reducing the amount of food a patient can eat. Learn more about the gastric sleeve.

Duodenal switch

The duodenal switch is similar to the gastric bypass in its mechanism of action. It restricts the amount of food the patient can eat by removing approximately 70% of the existing stomach like a gastric sleeve and bypassing a portion of the small intestine, like the gastric bypass. The duodenal switch addresses many of the shortcomings of the gastric bypass, but all insurance policies do not cover it. Learn more about the duodenal switch.

Bariatric surgery is not suitable for every patient that suffers from obesity. As such, there is a strict procedure for qualifying. Patients will undergo testing, including physical and psychological, to ensure that they are ideal candidates for surgery. Those who do not qualify for bariatric surgery may wish to explore our non-surgical weight loss options, combining lifestyle change and nutritional counseling for long-term weight loss.