Is Bariatric Surgery safe & How - Aastha Bariatrics

Obesity - a Deadly Disease

Obesity is an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to the health of an individual.

Obesity has been a leading health concern for the last few decades. A majority of obese individuals who lose weight return or exceed their baseline weight.

Measures of Obesity -

BMI: Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women.

The grade of obesity is decided based on the BMI a person falls under.

FORMULA FOR BMI CALCULATION:

Nutritional status	Asian criteria
Normal	< 25
Overweight	25 – 29.9
Obese 1(obese)	30 – 34.9
Obese 2 (morbid obese)	35 – 39.9
Obese 3 (super obese)	40 and above

What Causes Obesity -

Poor nutrition
Stress
Sedentary lifestyle
Genetics
Medical Conditions

Obesity Can Further Lead to -

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus
Hypertension
Osteoarthritis
Infertility
Cardiovascular disease
Dyslipidemia

How Can Obesity be Treated?

Diet and exercise are vital parts of the Bariatric Weight Loss journey. The changes to diet and exercise can result in weight loss. With today’s lifestyle, most people fail to adhere to a healthy diet & exercise pattern. This leads to regaining weight.

Bariatric Surgery is a well-established surgery treatment strategy for obesity. Especially after the failure of behavioral and pharmacologic weight-loss therapies. It is associated with improved comorbidities, quality of life, and survival in severe obesity.

Anybody with BMI above 30 with or without any comorbidities can undergo bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is very beneficial to treat comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia; PCOD, hypothyroidism, OSA, and more.

What is a Bariatric Surgery -

Gastric bypass is a weight loss surgery, where the stomach is divided into 2 parts by stapling. Thereby creating a pouch and reducing its size. This small pouch is then connected directly to the small intestine. When food is swallowed, it first goes to the small pouch of the stomach. Further, it goes directly to the small intestine bypassing a major part of your stomach.

Gastric bypass is helpful for fast weight loss. The weight loss can continue up to 2 years after surgery; with a very low possibility to regain the weight.

Types of Bariatric Surgery -

Gastric bypass surgery:

Gastric bypass also known as Roux-en-Y is a weight loss surgery, where the stomach is divided into 2 parts by stapling, thereby creating a pouch and reducing its size. This small pouch is then connected directly to the small intestine; food when swallowed first goes to the small pouch of the stomach and then directly to the small intestine bypassing a major part of your stomach.

Gastric bypass is advantageous for fast weight loss, which can continue up to 2 years after surgery; with very low possibilities to regain the weight.

Mini gastric bypass:

Mini gastric bypass surgery is a short, simple, and reversible laparoscopic surgery. The operation usually takes a shorter time, with a lesser hospital.

Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery:

Sleeve Gastrectomy is a type of weight loss surgery. In this surgery 75- 80% of the stomach is removed; leaving a tube-sized stomach; shaped like a Banana. This smaller stomach reduces the appetite and results in weight loss. It also resets the hormone which leads to a reduction in co-morbidities like Blood Pressure, Diabetes Type 2, Thyroid, and Sleep Apnea.

How safe is bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a very safe and effective procedure for extreme obesity. The insurance regulatory development authority of India issued guidelines stating the acceptance of obesity and bariatric surgery. It is now regarded as a safe scientific medical solution to treat obesity.

How safe is bariatric surgery for the long term?

Bariatric surgery is safe for short-term as well as long-term duration. Post-bariatric surgery patients are being educated and counseled in brief about the management and how to go about following the lifestyle patterns. Patients do not have any long-term complications if they follow the regime with proper guidance and knowledge regarding it.

Safety and Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery -

Patients with comorbidities have seen tremendous improvement in their health.
Pre-diabetics have reversed into non-diabetics. Diabetics have been able to reduce medication and stop insulin gradually, while some have also turned non-diabetic.
There has been a great improvement in T2DM, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. This also depends on the degree of fat loss and level of physical activity at follow up
Hypertension and diabetes are two major causes of Kidney disease among the population. Loss of albumin in the urine due to renal malfunction is corrected after successful bariatric surgery.

The major renal function parameter, i.e. Creatinine stays stable after the successful bariatric surgery. This helps us to know the safety, efficacy, and advantages of bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery is gender independent. Both males and females have equal benefits post-surgery.
Obesity is the root cause of conditions like menstrual abnormalities, infertility, urinary incontinence, and PCOS. Bariatric surgery removes the excess fat present in the body. All the abnormalities which were present due to excess fat come back to the normal conditions. Bariatric surgery has helped many women to lead a good quality of life by improving their normal day to day activities and general well being
Bariatric surgery has improved the blood pressure levels of patients and reduced their medications.
Fertility has improved for a lot of couples post the surgery.

What are the risks of bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgery does not have any risk as such if appropriate instructions and prescriptions given by the healthcare team are followed efficiently. Some of the patients may experience nausea, dizziness, and few symptoms post-bariatric surgery which is easily managed by the bariatric healthcare team.

Conclusion:

The surgery has been a boon to all those who have been suffering from this disease named “Obesity.” It is a completely safe and reliable procedure to go ahead with. Compliance with the new lifestyle with proper care will improve the quality of life and general well-being.

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