Bariatric laparoscopic surgery, or laparoscopic bariatric surgery, is a stomach reduction surgery performed with a modern, less invasive and more comfortable technique for the patient.
In this surgery, your doctor reduces your stomach from 5 to 6 small ‘holes’ in your abdomen, through which you insert the necessary instruments, including a microchamber connected to a monitor that allows you to visualize your stomach and facilitates surgery.
- In addition to being less invasive.
- This type of surgery also has a faster recovery time.
- As less time is needed for wound healing.
- The diet is still done in the same way as in other conventional bariatric surgeries.
- As it is necessary to allow the digestive system to recover.
The price of bariatric surgery for laparoscopy ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 reais, but when the SUS is performed it is free.
The great advantage of this procedure is recovery time, which is faster than in conventional surgery in which the doctor must make an incision to reach the stomach. Tissue healing occurs faster and the person can move better than in open surgery.
In addition, the risk of infection is also lower, as the wounds are smaller and easier to treat.
As for the drawbacks, there are few, the most common being the accumulation of air inside the abdomen that can cause swelling and some discomfort. This air is usually injected by the surgeon to move the instruments and better observe the site. However, this air is reabsorbed by the body and disappears in 3 days.
Bariatric surgery can be performed in the same case where conventional surgery is indicated. Therefore, there is an indication for people who have:
Once the surgery is approved, the person, along with the doctor, can choose from 4 different types of surgery: gastric band; gastric band surgery; duodenal deviation and vertical gastrectomy.
Watch the video below and see in what situations bariatric surgery is warranted:
After surgery, it is necessary to stay in the hospital for at least 2 to 7 days, to evaluate the onset of complications, such as an infection, and for the digestive system to function again. Therefore, the person should only be released after starting to eat and go to the bathroom.
During the first two weeks, it is also important to bandage the cuts of surgery, go to the hospital or health clinic, to ensure good healing, reduce scarring and prevent infections.
The biggest recovery step is feeding, which should start gradually over the days, starting with a liquid diet, which should then be pasty and finally semi-solid or solid. Nutritional counseling will start in the hospital, but it’s important to follow up with a nutritionist, adjust the diet over time and even supplement it if necessary.
Learn more about the evolution of food after bariatric surgery
The risks of bariatric surgery are the same as those of conventional surgery:
These complications usually occur during the hospital stay and are therefore identified by the medical team. When this happens, another surgical procedure may be necessary to try to correct the problem.