A vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is a bariatric procedure (weight reduction procedure) to eliminate excess weight. In this minimally invasive surgical procedure, your stomach size is trimmed to three or four ounces. It means about 80% of the stomach is dissected, leaving a banana-shaped stomach. As a result, you are restricted to limited food, which eventually helps you lose weight. In addition, after sleeve gastrectomy, the hunger hormone (ghrelin) levels fall, resulting in the reduction of appetite loss. As a result, experts say that patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy may lose around 60%-80% of their extra body weight.
These weight-loss surgeries are more beneficial and also have fewer post-operative complications. The procedure involves making a series of small incisions — which are approximately the width of a fingertip — and inserting various small surgical instruments to decrease the size of the stomach. You may need to stay in the hospital after surgery for one or two days under the doctor’s observations.
Over the past decade, sleeve gastrectomy has become increasingly popular, so it’s no surprise that patients who want to undergo this weight loss surgery have queries about it.
Therefore, we have compiled a list of the pros and cons of Gastric Sleeve Surgery.
Pros of Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Gastric sleeve surgery is highly effective above other weight loss procedures, with an immense success rate of 85%. It is effective enough to help severely obese individuals decrease about 60% of the extra body weight within a year after surgery.
- During surgery, patients are anesthetized so that they sleep throughout the procedure. A sleeve gastrectomy is a less invasive procedure if performed laparoscopically than a gastric bypass. Surgical instruments used in this procedure are very long and small caliber .Small incisions also allow patients to recover very quickly.
- The surgery also improves many complications like diabetes, cholesterol and sleep apnea.
- Dietary complications are also less than other surgeries because eating sugars and refined carbohydrates can cause some people to become sick.
- No Dumping syndrome.
- Vitamin deficiency is less likely to occur postoperatively.
- There is no need to implant foreign objects in the body, which is done in gastric banding.
Cons of Sleeve Gastrectomy
- As the patient wakes up following the bariatric surgery, the patient may feel thirsty, but he or she cannot drink or consume anything immediately. In addition, during the first few weeks after surgery, you should only consume liquids and soft foods.
Read: Different phases of diet to be followed after Gastric Sleeve Surgery.
- A breathing tube during surgery may cause the patient’s throat to feel sore.
- In some cases, the staple lines could leak and bleed, which you may observe in gastric bypass surgery.
- There will be mild pain in the abdominal area, and the patient will likely need to take pain medication for a short while.
- There is no way to undo the procedure; it is permanent.
- After surgery, patients might not be able to participate in strenuous physical activities until they recover completely or until the surgeon says it’s OK.
- About two-thirds of the stomach is permanently removed during the procedure.
- The consumption of carbonated beverages is forbidden after gastric sleeve surgery. This is because gas is produced due to the reaction between carbonation and digestion enzymes in the stomach. Consequently, the stomach pouch becomes stretched.
Are you looking for weight-loss surgery? Want to know whether you are a candidate for weight loss surgery? Contact Dr V Pareek, one of the Best Bariatric Surgeon in Hyderabad. In addition to gastric sleeve surgery, he is an expert in performing various other weight-loss surgical procedures. He has over a decade of experience, considers all available options, and recommends the best course of action for your weight-loss needs.
