Obesity is a health problem that has become an epidemic in the modern world. The rapid increase in the number of obesity due to reasons such as sedentary life and wrong eating habits brings along obesity-related health problems. Obesity, which is considered a chronic disease today, is a disease that must be treated with surgical or non-surgical methods.
What is Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
At the beginning of the methods used in the surgery of obesity, sleeve gastrectomy comes first. Gastric sleeve surgery is one of the operations performed successfully in hospitals. The tube stomach method is a stomach reduction surgery performed under general anesthesia. These operations, which were previously performed with the open surgery method, are generally performed with the laparoscopic method by opening 4-5 small holes in the abdomen. A part of the stomach is removed by entering through these holes with the help of special tools. Since the image of the remaining part resembles a tube, the operation is called sleeve gastrectomy.
What are the early-term and long-term risks of sleeve gastrectomy surgery? What should be considered during gastric sleeve surgery? What are the advantages of a tube stomach? You can find answers to many questions such as these in the continuation of the article.
Who Should Have Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
Not all individuals who are overweight are suitable for sleeve gastrectomy surgery. There are some criteria for the patient to be suitable for sleeve gastrectomy operation. Some of these can be listed as follows:
• The first way to decide whether an individual is suitable for sleeve gastrectomy is to calculate the body mass index. Individuals with a body mass index of 35 and above are suitable for sleeve gastrectomy.
• In addition to body mass index, the patient’s age is also an important factor in sleeve gastrectomy. Tube stomach is applied to patients between the ages of 18-65. However, if individuals under the age of 18 or over the age of 65 have other obesity-related health problems, a tube stomach may be decided upon by consulting other branches.
• Sometimes patients have diseases such as obesity-related type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In this case, in cases where the body mass index of the person is in the range of 30-35, an obesity doctor who is an expert in his field may decide on sleeve gastrectomy surgery.
What are the Early Term Risks and Long Term Risks of Gastric Sleeve Surgery?
Thanks to the developments in the scientific world today, possible side effects after bariatric surgery has decreased considerably. However, as in every operation, sleeve gastrectomy surgery has both early and long-term risks. Some of the possible complications seen in the early term after sleeve gastrectomy are as follows:
• The risk of leakage in the stapler area is one of the early-term risks of the operation. After the operation, the patient is given a liquid to drink and it is checked whether there is a leak in this area. The most important symptom of this is a fever that does not go away. When the patient realizes that his/her fever is high, he/she should consult his/her doctor immediately.
• As in all operations, there is a risk of bleeding and infection in sleeve gastrectomy operations. However, this risk is very low when the operation is performed by an experienced team.
The long-term risks of sleeve gastrectomy are;
• health problems such as stomach ulcers and reflux may occur in the long term.
• If the person does not pay attention to his diet, the narrowed stomach expands again and the lost weight can be regained. One of the long-term risks is that the patient gains weight again.
• Since there will be a lot of weight loss in the short term, there may be sagging in some parts of the body. The patient can prevent this situation with regular exercise.
What Should Be Considered While Having Tube Stomach Surgery?
The advantages of sleeve gastrectomy are much more than the risks. Gastric sleeve surgery is performed by an experienced team in our member hospitals. For the gastric sleeve surgery healing process to go smoothly, the patient should pay attention to some points before and after the operation. If there is excessive fat in the liver, the doctor who will operate may ask the patient to lose weight with the help of a dietitian. After the operation, the patient needs to change their eating habits and transition to an active life.
Gastric sleeve surgery is not just an operation to look beautiful. The main purpose of the operation is to restore the patient’s health. Nowadays, bariatric surgery is a procedure that is performed at affordable prices and has a very high success rate. We wish you healthy days.
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