Stomach Stapling

Just one of the increasing options, stomach stapling as well as Gastric Bypass Surgery should be the last resort for those who suffer from severe obesity.

If you really are unable to lose weight in any other traditional route, whether that's dieting and/or exercise, then Gastric Bypass Surgery is the probably the best option for you and it can have great results.

People who can be considered for stomach stapling or Gastric Bypass Surgery are those who are severely obese (i.e. with a body mass index of 40) or people who are obese (with a BMI of between 35-40) who also have a significant disease (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) that could be improved if they lost weight.

What Surgery Is Available?

There are two main types of stomach surgery. The first is the restrictive type operation and the second is known as malabsorptive surgery.

Restrictive surgery, or stomach stapling as it is also referred to, involves a reduction in the size of the stomach so that the patient feels full after eating just a small amount of food. The result is an immediate decrease in calorie intake and long term reduction in weight. The pouch created by the surgeon initially only holds about one ounce of food but later expands to 2-3 ounces. Around 30 percent of those patients who undergo VBG achieve normal weight, and about 80 percent achieve some degree of weight loss.

Malabsorptive Surgery involves the shortening in length of the digestive tract to reduce the amount of food that the body can absorb. The two main types of Malabsorptive Surgery are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB) and Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD). This type of surgery is the most common and most widely performed. You can also find details of many types of weight loss surgery by checking out this site.
 

Side Effects of Gastric Surgery

All types of Gastric Surgery are major procedures and as such there is a risk factor involved. The surgery can cause side-effects, both at the time of the operation and in the long term. These include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, heartburn and vitamin deficiency. However despite the side-effects, clinical trials have shown that Gastric Surgery was more effective than other conventional weight loss treatments in helping patients maintain their weight loss over time. Studies have shown that 10 to 20 percent of patients who have weight-loss surgery require follow-up operations to correct complications.