Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Sleeve gastrectomy, also known as gastric sleeve surgery, is one of the most common and effective procedures offered at Baptist Health for significant and lasting weight loss. This safe procedure helps shrink the stomach’s size, reduce appetite, and empower eligible patients to lose weight and maintain it for good.

In this surgery, a portion of the stomach is carefully removed. The remaining stomach is reshaped into a slender tube, similar in size and shape to a banana. This significantly limits the amount of food you can eat, helping you feel full much faster. This procedure is also performed using laparoscopic (minimally invasive) techniques, which involve smaller incisions and generally result in a quicker recovery.

What is a Sleeve Gastrectomy and How Does It Work?

After many years, overeating can stretch the stomach, making it harder to feel full even after eating a lot. A gastric sleeve corrects this process. It immediately shrinks the stomach and removes the part that produces hormones that make you feel hungry. This procedure significantly reduces the stomach’s capacity, helping to curb appetite and make you feel satisfied with smaller portions.

Unlike a gastric bypass, this surgery does not bypass any part of the intestines, leaving your digestive system otherwise intact.

Key Benefits of Sleeve Gastrectomy:

• Significant Weight Loss: Patients can expect to lose 60% to 70% of their excess weight in the one to two years following surgery when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.
• Reduced Hunger: By removing the portion of the stomach that produces hunger-driving hormones, you’ll feel less hungry.
• Improved Health: Many patients see improvement or even resolution of weight-related health issues like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
• Minimally Invasive: Performed laparoscopically, leading to smaller scars, less pain, and generally a faster recovery time.

Who Can Get a Sleeve Gastrectomy?

While our caring team will discuss your specific situation, most patients who qualify for a sleeve gastrectomy meet these general guidelines:

• A Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40, or a BMI over 35 along with weight-related health problems like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.
• A history of trying to lose weight through diet and exercise with limited long-term success.
• A strong commitment to making permanent healthy lifestyle changes after surgery.
• The ability to follow diet and exercise guidelines to prepare for the surgery.
• No health conditions that would make surgery unsafe.

In general, gastric sleeve surgery is used in two ways: it can be a stand-alone procedure to help with obesity, or it can be the first step in a multi-stage weight-loss plan for those with a BMI over 60. For these patients, a sleeve gastrectomy helps with initial weight loss, and a gastric bypass may follow later.

Your Journey with Baptist Health

At Baptist Health, our dedicated multidisciplinary team—including surgeons, dietitians, and exercise physiologists—will provide unparalleled one-on-one attention and guidance. We’re here to support you every step of the way, helping you build and maintain sustainable, healthy habits for life.