Morbid Obesity Surgery



Posted: Tuesday, June 20, 2006

by Kevin Stith

Severely obese people have to deal with serious health problems related to obesity. The conventional methods of losing weight are always considered the best, but they fail to produce results in most people who suffer from severe obesity or ‘morbid obesity.’ Morbid obesity causes numerous health hazards and causes impediments in the daily functioning. This severe form of obesity may be caused by an eating disorder, genetic factors, psychological problems or other causes. It increases the mortality rate of a person to almost double that of a normal person.

When traditional remedies fail, medical intervention in the form of surgery remains the only solution for severely obese people. Commonly termed bariatric surgery, it is carried out by expert bariatric surgeons after lengthy discussions with the patient regarding the operative procedure and the risks and complications that may occur during and after the operation. The patient has to understand that this surgery remains the only option left to ever leading a normal life. Also, the patient has to exhibit determination to stick to the precautions and exercises that are an essential part of the postoperative care.

There are two types of morbid obesity surgeries– the restrictive and the malabsorptive. The restrictive surgery creates bands or staples that are placed in proximity to the top of the stomach. This creates a small pouch known as a stomach pouch. A small outlet is placed at the bottom of the stomach pouch to ensure that the food stays in the pouch longer, thus restricting the amount of food a person can eat. The common operative procedures for restrictive surgery are Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, Gastric Banding and Laparoscopic Gastric Banding.

The combined Restrictive and Mababsorptive surgery involves a surgical procedure that makes a direct connection between the stomach and the ileum or jejunum of small intestine. This surgery is performed by the operative procedures of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass or Biliopancreatic Diversion. Whichever surgical procedure is undertaken to ensure the weight loss, the patient has to make major lifestyle adjustments to ensure long-term benefits of the surgery.

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