An Interview with Dr. Garth Davis on Bariatric Surgery
Dr. Garth Davis is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Bariatric Surgery.
Q. How long is the recovery period?
A. Depends on the surgery and the individual. For most of our patients they are back on their feet the day after surgery and back at work in 1-2 weeks
Q. What is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery?
A. The procedure involves dividing the stomach to create a small pouch. The whole stomach can hold 2000cc and we create a pouch that only holds 20 cc which amounts to 4 ounces. We then join a piece of intestine to this pouch create a new passage for the food to follow.
Q. What types of bariatric surgeries are there?
A. The most commonly performed procedure is the gastric bypass. Next is the band, then the sleeve gastrectomy, and after that the duodenal switch. The vertical banded gastoplasty was an older surgery that has recently gone out of favor.
Q. Does Bariatric Surgery Typically Lead to Major Weight Loss?
A. ABSOLUTELY! There have been many very good studies following people who had weight loss surgery and comparing them to people who follow a medical diet program. The surgery group always loses considerably more weight, has less cancer and heart disease, has a better quality of life, and lives longer!!
Q. What is the average level of weight loss of each type of surgery?
A. Gastric bypass- 65-75%, Lap Band 45-50%, Duodenal switch 80-85%, Sleeve gastrectomy 50-65%
