Gastric Sleeve Surgery

The sleeve gastrectomy helps you lose weight in these ways:

• By limiting the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time to less than ⅓ of what you can eat now.
• By limiting the amount of fluid you can drink at any one time.
• By decreasing the level of a gut hormone called Ghrelin making you feel less hungry.

There are also less complications with a Gastric Sleeve than those of a Gastric Bypass while still allowing for significant loss of excess weight. In patients with a high BMI and inadequate weight loss, the Sleeve can be converted to a Gastric Bypass in a second operation with much less risk (after initial weight loss has occurred).

Pros of Gastric Sleeve Surgery:

• Stomach volume is reduced in size, but it functions normally so food can be eaten in only small amounts. The types of foods eaten are not altered
• Minimizes the chance of an ulcer occurring in the stomach
• Has only a small risk of bowel blockage or vomiting from a blocked stomach. Much less risk of food intolerance than after a gastric band
• Very effective as a first stage procedure for high BMI patients (BMI >55 kg/m2)
• If there are problems with the small bowel that make it impossible to perform a gastric bypass, this is another option (along with the Gastric Band) for surgery
• Can be performed via keyhole surgery much more easily than the gastric bypass
• Short hospital stay
• Early return to work
• Less pain than for open surgery (large cut necessary)

Cons of Gastric Sleeve Surgery:

• This surgery is not reversible because the stomach is partly removed and thus cannot be replaced.
• Patients with a high BMI may need further surgery (Gastric Bypass) if weight loss is inadequate
• As with all the restrictive types of operations, soft foods and fluids that are high in calories are not restricted, and inadequate weight loss may result. Foods such as ice cream, cheeses, dips, soft drinks, chocolate must be taken sparingly
• During this procedure, part of the stomach is removed. The remainder of the stomach that is left, must be closed. This is done with a stapling instrument which in some cases, has been known to create holes where the staples have been inserted.  This is known as a ‘leak’ and may have an impact on your recovery

Guidelines for weight loss surgery are established by obesity surgical societies (OSSANZ and IFSO) and government bodies (National Institutes of Health) to ensure the safety and efficacy of the operations.

You may be a candidate if:

• You are more than 40kg above your ideal weight
• Your BMI is above 40kg/m2 or,
• Your BMI is above 35 and you have a medical condition associated with your weight, such as diabetes

Check with our BMI Calculator to see if you qualify for weight loss surgery.