Bariatric Surgery at Reliant Medical Group
A healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet and regular exercise is the most reliable way to lose a few pounds and maintain a healthy weight. However, for people suffering from severe obesity, bariatric surgery has been found to be the most effective way to achieve long-term weight loss and to reclaim their health. Bariatric surgery (also known as weight-loss surgery) changes the anatomy of your digestive system to limit the amount of food you are able to eat and digest. The Reliant Medical Group Bariatric Surgical Program is credentialed by the American College of Surgeons and uses a comprehensive team approach to treat extreme obesity. The multidisciplinary team consists of:
Click here to view videos of Dr. Paul Arcand discussing Surgical Weight Loss Procedures
By providing a team of expert clinicians to guide you we can help you safely achieve your weight-loss goals and avoid potentially serious complications to your health. Reliant Medical Group offers three types of bariatric surgery for patients:
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure is the most common bariatric surgery which involves the surgical alteration of the gastrointestinal tract. This procedure restricts the size of your stomach to about the size of a large egg, limiting the amount of food you can eat. It also limits the amount of calories and nutrients your body absorbs as a large part of the stomach and small intestine is bypassed.
Gastric banding
Gastric banding is a purely restrictive procedure limiting the amount of food you can eat. A band is placed around the uppermost part of the stomach, slowing the emptying of food from your stomach which creates a feeling of fullness. The band can be adjusted to increase or decrease restriction, surgery can be reversed, and food is digested through the normal digestive and absorption process.
Both the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and the gastric banding procedures are performed at Saint Vincent Hospital by our bariatric surgeons, Dr. Michael Potter and Dr. Paul Arcand, the Director of the Bariatric Surgery Program. Click on the links below to watch a short video about these procedures:
Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG)
The laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a partial gastrectomy of the fundus and body of the stomach to create a gastric tube constructed along the lesser curve of the stomach.
While LSG is generally considered a restrictive procedure, there may also be neurohormonal changes related to the gastric resection that contribute to greater weight loss than other restrictive procedures. The metabolic mechanisms of action of LSG continue to be an active area of research.
Click here to view videos of Dr. Paul Arcand discussing Surgical Weight Loss Procedures
Bariatric surgery is not for everybody. It is usually only considered for those who meet the following criteria:
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more.
- A BMI between 35 and 39.9 along with a serious obesity-related health problem such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or severe sleep apnea.
- An understanding of the lifestyle changes needed to make bariatric surgery a success.
Surgeons perform bariatric surgery because the risk of premature death increases significantly for those who are severely obese (also known as morbid obesity). People who are severely obese are at much greater risk of dying from atherosclerosis, heart attack or stroke. By helping patients control their weight, bariatric surgery improves their long-term health and has been shown to be effective in helping patients suffering from high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and other conditions associated with severe obesity.
Interested in learning more?
If you are significantly overweight, learning more about bariatric surgery could be the first step in improving your overall health. At Reliant Medical Group, our experience in bariatric medicine has made us confident we can help committed patients achieve their long-term weight loss goals and lead healthier lives.
Each month, Reliant Medical Group offers a free Bariatric Surgery Introductory Session at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester. Dates and times for this Introductory Session are listed here. Please call (508) 368-3190 to register.