| Dr. Geoffrey S. Nadzam is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. Here the doctor has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Bariatric Surgery.
Q. After the surgery, what support will a patient receive in adjusting to new daily habits?
A. The Center for Weight Loss Surgery here at the Hospital of Saint Raphael offers a full spectrum of pre and postoperative support for patients. Specifically there are stay-on-track support groups and weight regain support groups available to patients postoperatively. Also, patients will have access to a website which will help them track their weight loss, provide them with over 400 weight loss surgery friendly recipes, allow them to monitor their daily caloric intake, and set goals for future weight loss, and communicate with other patients who have undergone similar surgeries. Patients in our practice see their surgeon or the nurse practitioner postoperatively at their visits.
Q. What is a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery?
A. In brief, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a procedure in which the size of the stomach is reduced by more than 80% and the intestines are bypassed so that the food that is ingested is not absorbed into the system as readily. This procedure combines both a restrictive component and a malabsorptive component, allowing the patient to lose more weight than a strictly restrictive operation. Weight loss from a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass can range from 60 to 75% excess body weight loss at one year. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is performed laparoscopically, avoiding large abdominal incisions and returning people to daily activities and work much more quickly than the old-fashioned open gastric bypass surgery.
Q. What types of bariatric surgeries are there?
A. There are three main bariatric surgical procedures:
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Adjustable gastric band and Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
These operations result in varying degrees of weight loss depending on operation chosen. In general, weight loss from sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass are nearly identical and weight loss from gastric laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedures are about 10% lower than that of sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. All procedures typically lead to weight loss results of at least 50% excess body weight loss at one year’s time after surgery.
Q. Does bariatric surgery typically lead to major weight loss?
A. Yes, bariatric surgical procedures in general lead to at least a reduction by half of the amount of pounds the patient has been overweight by one years time. For example, a patient who is 100 lbs. overweight will expect to lose at least 50 lbs. with the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band and nearly 65 to 75 lbs. with a gastric bypass surgery at one year’s time. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band patients will continue to lose weight at two and three years after surgery and long-term studies have shown that the difference in weight loss between the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band are about 10 to 12%.
Q. What is the average level of weight loss for each type of surgery?
A. As mentioned above, a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass will lose about 70 to 75% excess body weight loss at one year, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding patients will lose approximately 50% excess body weight loss and the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy will obtain approximately 70 to 75% excess body weight loss at one year.
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