Bariatric Surgery
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve is a conceptually simple bariatric procedure to understand. It is a laparoscopic (key-hole) procedure that reduces the size of the stomach by removing about 80% of the organ. As a result, the carrying capacity of the stomach reduces to about 1/10th of the original volume (about 300ml).
It is performed under general anaesthesia through 5 small incisions on the abdomen. After the patient is asleep, a calibration tube is carefully inserted via the month into the stomach to guide the surgeon. By using the calibration tube as a guide, the surgeon then uses a medical stapling device to seal and divide an appropriate portion of the stomach. This leaves a long and narrow stomach tube, or sleeve, into which the food will pass through. The staple line is then thoroughly inspected and reinforced to ensure perfect healing. The resected stomach is removed via one of the key-hole incisions. Finally, all the skin incisions are closed with dissolving stitches.
This procedure takes about an hour to complete.
Advantages of Gastric Sleeve
- A stomach-only operation, does not alter the passage of food through the intestine
- The most natural eating style after bariatric surgery
- A comparatively shorter operation, therefore shorter time under general anaesthesia
- Allows conversion to other bariatric procedures should revision surgery is needed
Disadvantages of Gastric Sleeve
- An irreversible bariatric procedure
- Staple line leakage, a very rare (0.2%) complication, but it can be a difficult to fix
- Acid reflux (GORD), a common problem that improves with weight loss
- Constipation, a temporary problem that is easily treated
Sunnybank Private Hospital
Suite 30, Level 2, Sunnybank Specialist Centre
245 McCullough Street, Sunnybank QLD4109
Phone: 07 3518 8626 Fax: 07 3319 6658