Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
Aftercare following a gastroplasty has long-term as well as short-term aspects.
Short-term aftercare
Patients who have had an open VBG usually remain in the hospital for four to five days after surgery; those who have had a laparoscopic VBG may return home after two to three days. Aftercare in the hospital typically includes:
- Pain medication. After returning from surgery, patients are given a patient-controlled anesthesia, or PCA device. The PCA is a small pump that delivers a dose of medication into the IV when the patient pushes a button.
- Clear fluids. Inpatient food is limited to a liquid diet following a VBG.
- Oxygen treatment and breathing exercises to get the patient's lungs back into shape. Patients are encouraged to get out of bed and walk around as soon as possible to prevent pneumonia.
- Regular change of surgical dressings. Patients may be given additional dressings for use at home, if needed.
Long-term aftercare
Long-term aftercare includes several adjustments to the patient's lifestyle:
- Slow progression from consuming foods and liquids to eating a normal diet. For the first two weeks after surgery, the patient is limited to liquids and foods that have been pureed in a blender. The reintroduction of solid foods takes place gradually over several months. In addition, patients sometimes have unpredictable reactions to specific foods; most of these resolve over time.
- Lifelong changes in eating habits. Patients who have had a VBG must learn to chew food thoroughly and to eat slowly to reduce the risk of nausea and vomiting. They must also be careful to avoid eating too many soft foods or sweets, to reduce the risk of regaining weight.
- A minimum of five years of follow-up visits to the surgeon to monitor weight maintenance and other health concerns. Patients considering bariatric surgery should choose a surgeon with whom they feel comfortable, as they are making a long-term commitment to aftercare with this professional.
- Ongoing support group meetings to deal with the physical and psychological aftereffects of surgery and weight loss.
- Beginning and maintaining an appropriate exercise program.
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The animation describes gastric bypass surgery, gastric band surgery, and sleeve gastrectomy. As explained in the video, these procedures use either restrictive or malabsorptive approaches to weight loss, or both.
Other Information
Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), also known as stomach stapling, is a restrictive operation for weight control. Both a band and staples are used to create a small stomach pouch. In the bottom of the pouch is an approximately one-centimeter hole through which the pouch contents can flow into the remainder of the stomach and thence onto the remainder of the gastrointestinal tract.
Stomach stapling is a restrictive technique for managing obesity. The pouch limits the amount of food a patient can eat at one time and slows passage of the food. Stomach stapling is more effective when combined with a malabsorptive technique, in which part of the digestive tract is bypassed, reducing the absorption of calories and nutrients. Combined restrictive and malabsorptive techniques are called gastric bypass techniques, of which Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RGB) is the most common. In this technique, staples are used to form a pouch that is connected to the small intestine, bypassing the lower stomach, the duodenum, and the first portion of the jejunum.
This type of weight loss surgery is losing favor as more doctors begin using the adjustable gastric band. The newer adjustable band does not require cutting into the stomach and does not use any staple lines, thus making it a much safer alternative.
VBG is known in the medical community as a very serious and dangerous procedure. It has been classified by the AMA as a "severely dangerous" operation.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_banded_gastroplasty_surgery
Other Information
The number of Gastric Bypass surgeries climbed more than 600% from 1993 to 2003.
From: Bariatric-Surgery.info
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