Weight Loss Surgery in Jacksonville

Weight Loss (Bariatric) Surgery transforms the health and lives of thousands of people every year. It is a treatment option for people living with morbid obesity and especially for those who haven’t had long-term weight loss success through other means including diet and exercise.

Until recently bariatric surgeons used only an open technique, which required a long incision and traditional medical instruments. More recently, minimally invasive techniques were introduced. The surgeon performs the same operation, but creates several 1/5 to 1/2 inch incisions and uses long-handled instruments. This can result in faster recovery, less pain, and less scarring, however, not all patients will qualify for minimally invasive bariatric surgery.

Here at Advanced Surgery Group, we place an emphasis on patient education, and as such, we would suggest that you do significant research and attend one of our seminars on the various procedures, their benefits and risks. Below you’ll find some general information on the procedures we offer.

Gastric Bypass

During the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery, the surgeon creates a smaller stomach pouch. The surgeon then attaches a Y-shaped section of the small intestine directly to this pouch. This allows food to bypass a large portion of the small intestine. The small intestine absorbs calories and nutrients, and bypassing it eliminates some of that absorption and, in turn, calories. Working in tandem is the smaller stomach pouch which causes patients to feel fuller sooner and eat less food.

Life After Gastric Bypass

The goal of gastric bypass is to improve overall quality of life. Gastric bypass patients typically lose over 50 percent of their excess weight, and in most patients Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol will be improved or resolved.

Recovery time is moderate, with most patients being able to leave the hospital within a few days and return to work and semi-normal activity in less than a month.

Potential Concerns of Gastric Bypass

"Dumping syndrome" can occur from eating high-fat, high-sugar foods after the gastric bypass procedure. While it isn’t considered a health risk, the results can be unpleasant and may include vomiting, nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and diarrhea. Patients must supplement their diet with a daily multivitamin and calcium and some patients will have to take vitamin B12 and/or iron. The stomach, duodenum, and parts of the small intestine cannot be seen easily using X-ray or endoscopy if there are complications after surgery such as ulcers, bleeding, or malignancy. As with any surgical procedure there are inherent risks. Please speak to your NFS surgeon about these risks.

Risks Associated with Gastric Bypass

• Dehiscence (separation of tissue that was stitched or stapled together)
• Leaks from staple lines
• Ulcers
• Dumping syndrome, an unpleasant side effect that may include vomiting, nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, and diarrhea
• Required supplementation of diet with a daily multivitamin, calcium, and sometimes vitamin B12 and/or iron
• Inability to detect the stomach, duodenum, and parts of the small intestine using X-ray or endoscopy, should problems arise after surgery such as ulcers, bleeding, or malignancy
• Increased gas
  
  
  
  

Gastric Banding

Our practice uses the REALIZE™ Band system. For more information on this system click here. Two devices are implanted in the patient: a silicone band and an injection port. The silicone band is placed around the upper part of the stomach and molds the stomach into two connected chambers. The injection port is attached to the abdominal wall, underneath the skin. The port is connected to the band with soft, thin tubing.

The band is adjustable and adjustments are made by your healthcare professional using a needle to inject saline solution into your band through the port. Adding saline increases the amount of restriction provided by the band, helping patients feel fuller sooner, and with less food.

Life After Gastric Banding

Recovery varies between patients, but the less invasive nature of the procedure lends itself to shorter recovery times. Your Advanced Surgery Group team will advise you on when to return to normal activity levels.

Gastric Banding patients typically lose over 40 percent of their excess body weight and in most patients Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol will be improved or resolved.

Potential Concerns of Gastric Banding:

Because of the nature of the procedure Gastric banding can help you feel satisfied sooner, and with less food, but it won’t eliminate the desire to eat. You will have to follow specific diet and exercise guidelines provided by us in order to reach and maintain your weight goals. Gastric banding requires more intensive follow-up care than most other bariatric surgeries. Since the band is adjustable, the procedure is a continuous work in progress. Even after reaching your ideal weight, you may need to see us periodically to adjust the band further. As with any surgical procedure there are inherent risks. Please speak to your NFS surgeon about these risks.

Risks Associated with Gastric Banding

• Migration of implant (band erosion, band slippage, port displacement)
• Tubing-related complications (port disconnection, tubing kinking)
• Band leak
• Esophageal spasm
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Inflammation of the esophagus or stomach
• Port-site infection

Note: Complications may result in reoperations.

Sleeve Gastrectomy

During this surgery, the surgeon creates a small, sleeve-shaped stomach. It is larger than the stomach pouch created during gastric bypass: about the size of a banana. Sleeve gastrectomy is typically considered as a treatment option for bariatric surgery patients with a BMI of 60 or higher and is often performed as the first part in a two-procedure treatment, the second part being gastric bypass.

Robotic Bariatric Surgery

Here at Advanced Surgery Group, Drs. Steven Webb (a Bariatric Center of Excellence surgeon) and John DePeri employ the daVinci® Surgical System for qualifying bariatric patients in addition to traditional bariatric surgical methods. Don’t hesitate to ask us if robotic surgery is right for you. For some patients, robotic surgery can be the most effective form of minimally invasive bariatric surgery, using only a few small incisions to perform the weight loss procedure. The da Vinci® Gastric Bypass procedure can yield several benefits over other gastric bypass techniques, including:

Lower leak rate

Less blood loss

Less incidence of anastamotic stricture

Less Pain

Fewer Surgical Complications

Smaller Scars

Shorter Post-Operative Recovery

For more information please visit the following link: Robotic Surgery

SILS

(Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery)

Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) is a new, highly effective and advanced laparoscopic procedure in which the surgeon makes only one incision rather than the often four incisions for a typical laparoscopic procedure. The surgery is conducted in very similar fashion to traditional laparoscopic weight loss surgery, but the even less invasive incision makes for a reduced recovery period and very little, if any, visible scarring. Moreover, the procedure can often be conducted through an existing orifice such as the belly button, allowing there to be no visible scar at all.

While the risks of surgery still remain, SILS does have several advantages, including less scarring as mentioned above and, depending on the patient, less post-operative pain with quicker recovery time. And since there is only one incision, the chance of post-operative infection is reduced.

Dr. Hagan has significant experience and training in the SILS procedure and routinely performs cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and colectomy. Drs. DePeri and Webb also perform these SILS procedures. In addition, they both offer the single incision gastric band as well as the single incision (NOSCAR) sleeve gastrectomy.

Risks of Surgery

Risks Associated with Abdominal Surgery

• Bleeding - Pain
• Shoulder pain - Pneumonia
• Infection - Pulmonary embolism
• Stroke or Heart Attack - Death
• Complications due to anesthesia and medications
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Injury to stomach, esophagus, or surrounding organs

Note: Risks are associated with any type of surgery, including abdominal surgery. These risks are greater for individuals who suffer from obesity.

Risks Associated with Bariatric Surgery

• Abdominal hernia - Chest pain
• Collapsed lung - Constipation or diarrhea
• Dehydration - Enlarged heart
• Gastrointestinal inflammation/swelling - Stoma obstruction
• Stretching of the stomach - Surgical procedure repeated
• Vomiting and nausea
• Gallstones, pain from passing a gallstone, inflammation of the gallbladder, or surgery to remove the gallbladder

Courtesy Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.

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