What is Bariatric Surgery? How many types of Bariatric Surgery are there?
India ranks 3rd in obesity. Being obese doesn’t seem such a big problem until it becomes the reason for multiple health disorders. By that time, it is too little, too late.
The World Health Organisation has now categorized obesity as a disease. A disease that leads to comorbidities like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, etc. It raises the chances of other medical conditions like shortness of breath, fatty liver, infertility, joint pains and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
It’s not like people do not want to lose weight. Some even do. But there are a few others who just can’t lose weight even after having tried dieting and exercising. Bariatric Surgery is recommended to these people; people who are having trouble living their normal life because of their weight and their BMI is more than 40.
What is Bariatric Surgery?
All types of weight-loss procedures that need surgical intervention by making changes in the digestive system to reduce weight and sustain weight loss for a long period of time are called Bariatric Surgeries. Some procedures help in reducing the amount of food ingested; some procedures reduce the absorption of nutrients from the ingested food; some procedures do both.
Types of Bariatric Surgery:
Sleeve Gastrectomy:
In this procedure, the size of the stomach is reduced to one-third making the patient feel fuller quicker. This procedure works on reducing the food intake and is irreversible. This surgery is done laparoscopically and is, therefore, sometimes referred to as Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.
Gastric Bypass:
Gastric bypass is also known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. In this procedure a small pouch is created, about the size of an egg, using staples. Creating the small pouch reduced the amount of food ingested. The pouch is directly connected to the lower part of the small intestine, bypassing the stomach and upper small intestine. This reduces the amount of fat and calories absorbed by the small intestine where most of the absorption takes place. So, a gastric bypass works in reducing the food intake as well as the fats and calorie absorption.
Gastric Banding:
This is the least invasive procedure of all. Done laparoscopically, gastric banding involves putting a band around the patient’s stomach that can be tightened or loosened by inserting fluids in the band by the surgeon, creating a smaller stomach resulting in the reduction of food intake.
Biliopancreatic diversion:
In this procedure, a smaller stomach, like in sleeve gastrectomy, is created to reduce food ingestion and the food bypasses the small intestine limiting the absorption of calories. This surgery is meant for people whose BMI is more than 50. Patients will have to take vitamins and supplements lifelong.
Endoscopic Bariatric Surgery:
With the advancement of endoscopic devices, newer technologies and ideas have been introduced to treat the obese for weight loss. This procedure is preferred when patients do not need the substantial amount of weight loss that the other surgeries provide.
Bariatric surgeries have proven to be a boon for patients where weight loss was impossible by traditional means. It helps them in reducing the chances of comorbidities that could become life-threatening. However, Bariatric Surgery can only help the patient as long as he understands that eliminating physical activity and living a sedentary lifestyle is not the way to a healthy life.

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