What is bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for weight loss in people who have a BMI of 35 or above. Many who fall into this category have experienced temporary success through diet, exercise or diet pills, but research shows much of that lost weight is likely to return over the years.

Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, changes the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract (the stomach and digestive system) and creates physiological changes in the body that alter energy balance and fat metabolism. This has been shown to improve or resolve many obesity-related medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Often, those who reduce their weight to a healthier level are able to take fewer medications to treat obesity-related conditions.

Our skilled multidisciplinary team at Ohio State can help you achieve and sustain the life-changing weight loss you’ve been hoping for.

• With more than 30 years of bariatric experience, Ohio State is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Our experienced surgeons perform hundreds of bariatric surgeries each year — more than any other program in central Ohio — with complication rates much lower than national standards.
• You’ll be evaluated for bariatric surgery based on your BMI, existing health conditions, previous weight loss attempts and commitment to transforming your lifestyle.
• If you qualify, your surgical options will include gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy or, on a case-by-case basis, another type of surgery.
• Gastric bypass is a procedure that keeps you from eating a lot of food at one time and absorbing everything you eat. Through this surgery, a pouch about the size of an egg is made from the stomach and connected to a re-routed portion of the small intestine, changing the digestive pathway of the food you eat. We were the first to perform minimally invasive gastric bypass surgery in central Ohio.
• A sleeve gastrectomy, or gastric sleeve, is a restrictive surgical weight loss procedure that limits the amount of food you can eat and helps you feel full sooner. In this procedure, a thin, vertical sleeve of stomach is created and the rest of the stomach is removed. The sleeve is about the width of a garden hose.
• In a gastric balloon procedure — available if your BMI is between 30 and 40 — a balloon is inserted into the stomach to restrict food intake and leave you feeling full. This procedure is temporary, because the balloon must be removed within six months.
• Revision surgery may be appropriate for patients who have had a previous bariatric procedure and experienced complications as a result of that procedure, or have inadequate weigh loss or weight regain.
• No matter your procedure, this is more than just a surgery. At Ohio State, we offer a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program with a team of experts who will be key to your success. Your care team will include surgeons, nurses, psychologists, cardiologists, dietitians and other health and medical experts. No two patients are the same, so we fit your treatment to you.

Many Ohio State bariatric surgery patients find their lives quickly transformed.

• The average hospital stay is one to two days, with recovery time from two to four weeks. Almost all bariatric surgeries are laparoscopic, or minimally invasive, which means:
  • less pain after surgery
  • fewer noticeable scars
  • less skin and muscle tissue trauma
  • fewer wound complications
  • earlier mobility
• Your results won’t take long: With gastric bypass surgery, most patients lose between 60% and 85% of their excess body weight over a period of 12 to 18 months, and sleeve patients lose 60% to 70% of excess weight in 24 months.
• Not only can bariatric surgery help you lose weight, but it can also help you put your health back on track. It’s been proven to lower the risk of associated medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and even infertility.
• After surgery, you may find that you need fewer medications to treat obesity-related conditions such as arthritis, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
• On average, patients who have bariatric surgery also have lower rates of premature death caused by heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

Meet an Ohio State gastric bypass patient

Melissa couldn’t stand to have her picture taken. She’d break down in tears just seeing herself. She was 260 pounds, eating to relieve her stress and wondering whether she’d live long enough to see her 40th birthday.

And then she attended an information session for bariatric surgery at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

“I kind of figured, you know what? I’m not going to help death along,” she said. “I’m going to do everything I can to get my life back.”

After her surgery, Melissa left the hospital and stepped into a new life. She shed 130 pounds and became a personal trainer, helping other bariatric surgery patients regain their health and restart their lives. “I considered my surgery day kind of my birthday,” she said. “I’m excited for the future for the first time in a long time.”

See Melissa’s story.