Bariatric Surgery in Brooklyn | Weight Loss Surgery Options & Information
Bariatric surgery (surgery to treat obesity) helps many patients keep weight loss off long-term, improves their health, and has been shown in multiple studies to cure or significantly reduce many obesity co-morbidities.
Bariatric surgery is part of Maimonides Weight Management Center, a comprehensive program that supports the full spectrum of needs for adults seeking help with obesity and weight loss.
Bariatric surgery is considered safe, is fully covered by most insurance plans, and with recent advances can be done using minimally invasive techniques, including advanced robotic surgery technology, that enable you to go home as soon as the next day. We use the latest operative and post-operative equipment to make your procedure and your stay with us as safe and comfortable as possible.
We have been accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) for the last 10 years in a row.
Bariatric Surgery Introductory Seminars
Come to Maimonides Weight Management Center for a bariatric surgical consultation or attend a free information session. These sessions help you decide if bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is right for you. Seminars are held online on the 2nd Monday of each month from 5:30pm – 6:30pm.
To register online, click here.
Register by phone: 718-283-6962
For more information email: [email protected]
Am I a Candidate for Weight Loss Surgery?
Although guidelines vary, bariatric surgery is generally considered when your body mass index (BMI) is 35 or higher or BMI over 30 if you have a life-threatening or disabling condition related to your weight. Depending on the type of surgery, most people lose about 20-50% of their total body weight.
BMI is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years. BMI can be used to indicate if you are overweight, obese, underweight, or normal. A healthy BMI score is between 20 and 25; a value above 25 indicates that you may be overweight.
Types of Weight Loss Surgery
Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
Laparoscopic gastric banding is the safest and least invasive bariatric surgery for patients interested in weight loss surgery.
The surgery is performed laparoscopically, which means less scarring, shorter hospital stays, less pain, quicker return to full activities, and fewer long-term complications. And it leaves the stomach fully intact.
The lap band is a small, saline-inflatable band placed around the upper portion of the patient’s stomach to create a small stomach pouch. The band restricts the amount of food consumed, slows the emptying of food from the stomach, and provides a constant sensation of being full. It allows you to finally gain control over your hunger.
Operating time is about 60 minutes, and most patients are ready to leave the hospital the same day. Most patients can return to work within a week or two.
How does it work? The lap band is adjustable to fit your weight loss needs, which can control the amount of saline in the band with a fine needle through the skin. The average weight loss of lap band patients is approximately 20% of total body weight, two to three years after surgery. Most importantly, the procedure is 100% reversible, which means that at any point the band can be easily removed, leaving your body virtually unchanged.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
Sleeve gastrectomy is a minimally invasive technique where the surgeon creates a small, sleeve-shaped stomach about the size of a banana.
The stomach is about 20% of its original size. With this option, patients are expected to have 30% total body weight loss at 18 months. The sleeve gastrectomy is not a reversible procedure.
Sleeve gastrectomy is effective for patients who are morbidly obese and an alternative for patients suffering from morbid obesity whose health risks are too complicated for earlier weight loss methods. There is no foreign body present and no malabsorption as with the bypass. This procedure, which takes about an hour, involves an overnight stay, and does not involve any rerouting or reconnecting of the intestine.
Gastric Bypass
Gastric bypass is usually performed laparoscopically and proven to be effective against diabetes and reflux.
The stomach is divided with a stapler, shrinking the size of your stomach and leaving a small stomach pouch. The small bowel is then divided and attached to the small stomach pouch. This allows most of your stomach to be bypassed as well as part of your small intestines where absorption of calories and nutrients typically happen—this bypass helps contribute to weight loss.
Patients lose about 35% of their total body weight. The gastric bypass has been around for over 50 years and there is significant data and research available. Today, gastric bypass is often done using advanced laparoscopic or robotic surgical techniques which lowers risk of complications.
Surgery takes 2-3 hours and hospital stay is one night. Insurance covers gastric bypass if a patient meets criteria for surgery, including BMI between 30-35, with at least one medical comorbidity associated with obesity, or a BMI greater than 35.
Single-Anastomosis Duodenal Switch (SIPS)
Single-Anastomosis Duodenal Switch is now offered to patients who had the gastric sleeve and are either regaining weight or have lost weight but need to lose additional weight.
The duodenum is separated, just below the pyloric valve, from the remaining intestinal tract. Around 300 centimeters of the small intestine is measured from the terminal ileum and that loop is connected to the stomach. This longer channel leads to greater absorption of nutrients and vitamins and fewer bowel movements compared with the regular Duodenal Switch procedure (DS).
We also offer SADI-S (Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal) bypass with sleeve gastrectomy. SADI is done robotically or laparoscopically, and patients spend less time in surgery with a reduced risk of complications.
Intragastric Weight Loss Balloon
Intragastric weight loss balloon is a non-surgical device. The balloon is endoscopically placed without incision and no part of your anatomy is altered. The device is placed into your stomach and filled, then removed six months later. Compared to other surgical options, the balloon is a temporary option.
Revisional Bariatric Surgery
When a patient undergoes bariatric surgery and follows the post-operative instructions, they can expect to lose significant weight and maintain that weight loss. However, if a patient does not lose the anticipated weight after surgery or has lost weight but regained some or all of it back, revisional surgery can help get you back on your weight loss success journey. Our experienced surgeons will guide you through the revisional options that are right for you.
Risks & Guidelines for Surgery Eligibility
As effective as modern bariatric surgery is, there are some risks: such as gastroesophageal reflux, weight regain, nutritional deficiencies, and people who are obese have a higher risk of complications from surgery and anesthesia. To minimize these risks, our comprehensive weight management center makes sure you have appropriate pre-operative work up and optimization for surgery. Our comprehensive center also provides long term post-operative follow up to ensure your long-term success. Today, in our expert hands, bariatric surgery is as safe as getting your gallbladder removed or your appendix removed. Your experienced surgeon will discuss specific risks and guidelines with you in more detail individually.
Learn more and book a consultation with a Weight Management Specialist
Call 718-283-6962, weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Schedule an appointment online 24/7
Location
4813 Ninth Avenue, 6thFloor, Brooklyn, NY 11220
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm
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