Gastric Sleeve

A sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve surgery is a type of bariatric surgery used by patients from all around the world to lose weight in a safe and fast way. The weight loss procedure gained much popularity due to the simple technique used and its effectiveness. In gastric sleeve surgery, the stomach is reduced to just 25% of its original size, thus inhibiting the consumption of large quantities of food in one go. The stomach itself gains the shape of a tube or sleeve, thus the name gastric sleeve or sleeve gastrectomy. Although the procedure is irreversible and the size of the stomach is permanently reduced, some patients may experience dilatation of the stomach 10-20 years after the surgery.

Gastric Sleeve Candidates

Gastric sleeve surgery or sleeve gastrectomy is recommended for patients suffering from obesity or morbid obesity. This is a type of medical condition where the patient has accumulated so much body fat that it has a negative effect on the patient’s health, effectively limiting their life expectancy. Generally speaking, patients with a body mass index of 40 and over are considered morbidly obese.

Am I Suitable for Gastric Sleeve?

A sleeve gastrectomy or gastric sleeve surgery may not be suitable for extremely overweight individuals as the surgery itself can be life threatening. In some cases it’s best to wait and lose some weight before going in for surgery.

Preparing for Gastric Sleeve

The patient should stop using aspirin, ibuprofen and vitamin E at least 2 weeks before going in for surgery. At least 3 weeks before the surgery, the patient should stop smoking as it can interfere with anesthesia and the gastric sleeve recovery period.

How is Gastric Sleeve Performed?

The patient is administered general anaesthesia and the surgeon may begin to work on removing part of the stomach and the fundus. Since gastric sleeve surgery is a laparoscopic procedure, around 6 incisions are created around the abdomen area. The surgeon will use these tiny incisions, not bigger than 1-2 cm to work on reducing the stomachs size and then stitching it back together. At the end of the procedure, around 25% of the stomach will remain and function as normal, still connected to the small intestine and the esophagus.

Gastric Sleeve Summary

Gastric Sleeve Recovery

The patient will spend around 4 days in hospital and the gastric sleeve recovery period lasts around 4 weeks, after which the patient can safely return to work and normal activities. The patient will need to follow a special sleeve gastrectomy diet, effectively avoiding solid food for a few weeks.

Gastric Sleeve Risks and Complications

Gastric sleeve complications are rare, but they can happen. The chance of complications depend on the patient’s state of health, the technique used by the surgeon and the recovery period. Gastric sleeve complications can include:

● Leaking of the sleeve
● Bleeding
● Infection
● Formation of blood clots
● Gastroparesis
● Pain in the esophagus
● Vagus nerve damage

Around 3% of patients suffer from any type of gastric sleeve complications in the first 30 days after a sleeve gastrectomy.

Gastric Sleeve Side Effects

Gastric sleeve side effects can include:
● Nausea from the anaesthesia
● Aversion to foods
● Vomiting

These gastric sleeve side effects will only affect the patient during the recovery period.

Gastric Sleeve Success Rates

A survey focused on gastric sleeve results found out that patients lose an average of 57% of their excess body mass index over the course of 5 years. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery can help patients live a healthy life and improve eating habits.

Before and After Gastric Sleeve

The amount of weight the patient loses after gastric sleeve surgery or sleeve gastrectomy depends on the patient’s ability to follow the doctor’s instructions and exercise. A proper diet needs to be followed and maintained. Patients that go in for surgery with lower weight tend to lose excess weight much faster than those who go in for surgery with extreme surplus weight.