Stomach reduction – advantages and risks of the operation
Benefits and Risks of Stomach Reduction
Stomach Reduction Benefits and Risks – What You Should Know About Stomach Reduction and Its Effects. If your years of trying to lose weight have failed without result, you have one last option: stomach reduction. Morbid obesity and health problems caused by type 2 diabetes can be successfully treated with this surgical procedure. Several techniques are available. Which one is the right one depends on the condition of the patient and the desired therapy goal.
Benefits and Risks – Who Can Have a Stomach Reduction?
Stomach reduction – advantages and risks of the operation – Stomach reduction only becomes an issue if no weight loss has been achieved with conservative methods for a period of more than a year. Most important requirement
is a body mass index (BMI) of over 35, i.e. obesity. If there are also pathological and severely debilitating side effects such as high blood pressure, joint problems, breathing pauses and heavy sweating, surgery is also recommended with a BMI of 30. The patient must also be of legal age, mentally stable and drug-free. The mental factors are of particular importance, since the physical intervention of the stomach reduction has a strong impact on the psyche.
What methods of stomach reduction are there?
Three techniques reduce the volume of the stomach. One option is to use a gastric band. A part of the stomach is closed off with it, so that only a much smaller amount of food can be ingested. A gastric balloon filled with salt water also serves this purpose. Both of these procedures are reversible as the band and balloon can be removed. The situation is different with the so-called gastric sleeve, in which part of the stomach has been irrevocably removed during an operation. The most frequently practiced procedure in Germany is the gastric bypass. The esophagus is surgically connected to the small intestine. The food then passes through neither the stomach nor the duodenum and can therefore no longer be fully utilized.
After the operation
Stomach reduction – advantages and risks of the operation – The positive consequences of a stomach reduction are quickly visible. The weight keeps dropping. After a year, the patients are not only significantly slimmer, but generally in better health. But not everyone can cope with these serious changes easily. Studies have shown that some of those who have been operated on try to compensate for the reduced food intake with greater consumption of alcohol, nicotine and drugs. Psychological follow-up care is therefore strongly recommended after every stomach reduction surgery.