
What is a gastric sleeve?
With a gastric sleeve, the surgeon removes a large portion of your stomach. He will do this lengthwise, from top to bottom. The stomach is reduced in size by removing the outward bend of the stomach. As a result, you are left with a smaller tube-shaped (banana-shaped) stomach. 65 to 80 per cent of the stomach is removed.
The entrance and the exit of the stomach will stay the same. Your digestive tract will also stay the same. But your stomach is a lot smaller. The part that will no longer be used is removed from your body. Because your stomach has become a lot smaller, it is no longer possible to eat large quantities of food. Also, you may experience some changes in certain hormones. You will produce less of the appetite hormone making you feel ‘full’ faster. This will ultimately make you lose weight.
Care Clinic acts as a mediator for the gastric sleeve. You can sign up with us in Barendrecht and make a follow-up appointment. You will be treated in and be under the responsibility of a bariatric centre (Centre for weight loss) in Belgium.
How is a gastric sleeve operation done?
An intravenous drip is inserted into your arm in the preparation room. The anaesthesiologist will administer medication through this drip. The operation will be done under a full general anaesthetic. This means that you will be asleep during the whole procedure and will not feel anything.
Once you have arrived in the operating theatre, you will be attached to the monitoring equipment, to measure your blood pressure, and adhesive patches will be used to register your heart rate. You will receive oxygen via an oxygen mask, and the anaesthetic will be administered via an intravenous drip. Only when you are fully asleep will the operation begin.
After the abdomen has been expanded (inflated) with carbon dioxide, a total of four incisions will be made. Everything will be documented on camera. Next, the surgical instruments are inserted. A gastric tube is inserted into the stomach, and the stomach is checked. The stomach is closed using staples. The section of the stomach to be removed is extracted via one of the remaining incisions, causing this area to be slightly painful after the operation.
You will be woken up once the gastric sleeve is completed and you will have no recollection of the operation. You will remain in the clinic for one night after the surgery, after which you may go home.
When am I a suitable candidate for a gastric sleeve?
A gastric sleeve is a good alternative to a gastric bypass. Loss of weight is comparable. Eating habits or the patient’s own preferences can be reasons for choosing the gastric sleeve, but also when a gastric bypass would not be a safe option, because of, for example, the length of the intestine or previous stomach operations. You are a good candidate for a gastric sleeve at Care Clinic when you have a BMI of 29.
CONSULTATION
GASTRIC SLEEVE BEFORE AND AFTER