General Information

Bariatric Surgery

Weight-loss or bariatric surgery is one of the safest, most-effective, and best studied methods for long-term weight loss for people struggling with obesity. Being overweight is not a lack of discipline. It’s the result of a combination of many different factors including a person’s genetics and environment. Many people struggle with losing weight despite trying their best to diet and exercise. The good news is that you are not alone! Over 200,000 individuals in the United States undergo bariatric surgery each year to help with weight loss. Each operation works to either decrease the amount of food you can eat (restriction) or how much of the food you eat you actually absorb (malabsorption) or both. Patients undergoing surgery can expect to lose anywhere between 60-80% of their extra body weight. Not only does surgery help people lose the weight they desire to do so but it also improves a lot of the other medical problems that are associated with being overweight including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, and sleep apnea.

At Woodhull, we perform a variety of these surgical procedures including:

• Sleeve gastrectomy – simply known as the sleeve, this operation involves turning your stomach into the size of a banana
• Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) – this operation involves two parts, a) turning your stomach into the size of a tangerine and b) attaching a part of your small intestine to your new stomach
• Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileostomy (SADI) – this operation involves two parts, a) performing a sleeve gastrectomy and b) attaching the very bottom of the sleeve to a part of your small intestine
• Gastric Banding – this operation involves placing a silicone ring around the top of your stomach and filling it with fluid
• Revisional Bariatric Surgery – a category of several different operations for individuals that already have undergone bariatric surgery but either failed to lose the weight that they were hoping to do so, had the weight come back, or experienced any long-term side-effects such as heartburn

Who Qualifies for Bariatric Surgery?

At Woodhull, we follow the established recommendations as put forth by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery for adult patients (> 18 years of age). They include:

1. Any patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 OR
2. Any patient with a body mass index between 30 and 34.9 with one or more related medical issues including:
   1. Type 2 diabetes (DM)
   2. High blood pressure
   3. High Cholesterol
   4. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
   5. Fatty Liver Disease
   6. Osteoarthritis

Any patient being considered for surgery must also have tried to lose weight by trying other forms of weight loss including diet programs and exercise regimens with minimal to no success.

Benefits of Bariatric Surgery

Many patients that undergo weight-loss surgery experience many positive changes in their lives. These include:

1. Significant weight loss
2. More energy
3. Higher self-esteem
4. A desire to pursue new hobbies/interests
5. Resolution of medical problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea
6. Relief of joint pain
7. Improved fertility
8. An overall improvement in quality of life
9. Decreased risk of certain cancers associated with obesity
10. A longer, healthier life

At Woodhull, we offer:

1. Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Management
2. Nutritional/Diet Counseling
3. Pre-operative psychological evaluation and post-operative follow-up
4. Bariatric Support Groups