Gastric Sleeve or Gastric Bypass

Gastric Bypass Surgery

One notable difference between the two techniques is that a gastric bypass will give immediate results in terms of weight loss. The bypass was the original method of weight loss surgery and it was first thought that the method would solve all cases of obesity with ease. Unfortunately, such invasive surgery is not without complications and, most importantly, it has proved not to be suitable for patients with a very high BMR in excess of 55 or 60.

A gastric bypass is a drastic way to try and achieve weight loss and it works by cutting the stomach of the individual and sewing it to make a small portion that is only a fraction of its original size. With such a small stomach the patient can eat only a very small amount of food before feeling full. In addition, the procedure also bypasses part of the intestine so that, once food has passed through the stomach, there is little opportunity for the body to absorb calories from it as it makes its way through the digestive system. This combination of being able to eat very little food and being able to absorb only minimal calories from that food results in rapid weight loss.

It should be noted that there are several significant risks associated with this form of surgery, particularly with very obese patients, and it is always wise to looks at other options before resorting to this fairly drastic solution. With surgery often lasting several hours, the operation is risky and the larger the patient the more risks there are. Therefore, alternatives have been developed to help people who are both morbidly obese and in the high risk category for surgery and a gastric sleeve is one of these.

Gastric sleeve surgery

Gastric sleeve surgery, also known as a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, is an alternative to the gastric bypass and is usually offered to patients who are at too high a risk to undergoing a gastric bypass. The process is less risky and, in many cases is, the preferred method when it comes to needing a drastic weight loss solution.

A gastric sleeve can often be used in advance of a gastric bypass for extremely overweight patients. Once the patient has lost sufficient weight with the sleeve, then he will qualify for a bypass operation without putting himself at risk of severe complications. The main difference between a gastric sleeve and a gastric bypass is that the gastric sleeve does not involve a bypass of part of the intestine.

The surgery for a gastric sleeve involves the surgeon making small incisions into the flesh from which he can view the stomach with the aid of a camera called a laparoscope. With the help of this camera, a part of the stomach will be removed and the remaining tube will be closed with staples. A gastric sleeve can successfully remove sixty to eighty percent of the stomach.

When the sleeve operation is carried out, the portion of stomach that produces the hormone Ghrelin is removed and, as this hormone stimulates hunger, surgery therefore reduces hunger pangs too. The gastric sleeve is slower to take effect than a full bypass because there is no bypass element to the surgery to reduce the number of calories absorbed during digestion.

There are both marked similarities and differences between a gastric sleeve and a gastric bypass but both are very successful in combating the ever growing problem of morbid obesity. A bypass is the most drastic form of surgery available, giving rapid results but accompanied by high risk factors, whereas a gastric sleeve is a safer form of surgery.