Obesity Surgery
You are eligible for obesity surgery if:
- Your BMI is 40 or above
- Your BMI is 35 or above and you have obesity-related health conditions (co-morbidities)
Why LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY?
Advantages of laparoscopic bariatric surgery:
- Shorter time in hospital (normally one night for a laparoscopic gastric banding procedure and 3-4 nights for a laparoscopic gastric bypass)
- Less pain
- Less need for intensive care
- Shorter recovery time needed to return to normal activities
- Less wound infection rates
- Fewer incisional hernia
- Less scaring
No difference between laparoscopic and open surgery:
- Same weight loss
- No significant difference in leak rates following gastric bypass surgery
Disadvantages of laparoscopic surgery:
- Generally a longer operating time (although there is little difference between open and laparoscopic gastric banding)