Bariatric Surgery Clinic

People employ a variety of strategies to reduce their weight, such as diet and exercise, however when it comes to pathological weight, these strategies are insufficiently successful and surgery is required. In this context, bariatric surgery—one of the most significant and successful forms of treatment for overweight people—was created by medicine.

If excess weight turns into pathological obesity, the so-called morbid obesity, with an increase in body mass index, the incidence of various concomitant diseases increases, for example:

• Diabetes mellitus;
• Lipid metabolism disorders;
• Atherosclerosis;
• Arterial hypertension;
• Sleep apnea.

While bariatric surgery enhances patients' overall health and quality of life, these illnesses lower life expectancy and quality of life.

Both restrictive and malabsorptive procedures are used in bariatric surgery.

Gastric bypass surgery is of the mixed kind, while laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is of the restrictive type.

A less intrusive, safer, and irreversible procedure is laparoscopic sleeve gastroplasties (LSGs), in which:

• A tubular stomach is formed;
• The hunger hormone ghrelin is no longer produced;
• The stomach volume is reduced by 80-85%, as is the amount of food consumed at one meal;
• The patient loses 60-70% of excess weight within 12-18 months;

Gastric Bypass: Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass (LGB)

 is a traumatic and reversible procedure that connects the small intestine to the stomach's cardiac portion without going through the stomach. Its benefits include:

•  Lowering the patient's intake of food at a single meal and decreasing the absorption of that food;
• 70-80% weight loss within 12-18 months;
• Average weight loss of 57% 5 years after surgery;
• Reduction in patient's calorie intake;
• 95% of patients were cured of type 2 diabetes after surgery;

Although gastric bypass is advised to achieve successful and long-lasting weight loss, multicenter studies have demonstrated that vertical gastric resection is the least invasive and most straightforward treatment with fewer problems.

This is regarded as bariatric surgery's gold standard.

Jaba Babaev, the bariatric surgeon at the "New Life" clinic, discusses to us in greater detail about the years of successful bariatric surgery performed there.

- What is bariatric surgery?

- Bariatric surgery is the surgical correction of excess weight; metabolic surgery, which is not a type of plastic surgery. Bariatric surgery can help you lose weight and regulate your metabolic balance. There are two main methods for achieving this effect, which involve different types of surgery – restrictive and malabsorptive.

During restrictive surgery, the stomach is made smaller. The weight loss effect is achieved at the expense of a smaller stomach – it is forced to take in a smaller amount of food. In malabsorptive surgery, the small intestine is attached to the stomach and connected to the smaller stomach,

After that, a certain section of the small intestine is cut off from digesting food. At this time, the person still eats small amounts of food, but in this case, the body no longer absorbs the food that has been eaten.

What kinds of surgeries are carried out at the New Life Clinic in this regard, and how do they differ from one another?

- In our clinic, both sleeve gastrectomy (sleeve gastrectomy) and malabsorption surgeries (mini gastric bypass) are performed to combat excess weight. None of the bariatric surgeries are plastic surgeries and are aimed at. To the patient's recovery and survival. During restrictive surgery, the stomach is made smaller, so the person loses weight at the expense of a smaller stomach. The patient is made to consume a tiny quantity of food. Malabsorption surgery involves connecting the small intestine to the stomach, then cutting off a specific portion of the small intestine from food digestion. The individual continues to consume small quantities of food at this point, but their absorption of it is incomplete. Although malabsorption surgery is more technically complex and takes longer to do, the results should persist for a lot longer. Due to their great efficacy, these kinds of surgeries are therefore advised in many nations worldwide.

- When is weight loss surgery necessary?

-The decision on the operation and type of operation is made together with the patient by our clinic's multidisciplinary team - consisting of a surgeon, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, and anesthesiologist. The surgery is performed when the body mass index (BMI) is high, and the patient has already tried several diets or various endoscopic approaches (ballooning, Botox) that have resulted in weight loss, but have not been able to maintain the weight loss. BMI is a measure of height in relation to fat and weight, so it is different for everyone. If a patient's BMI is more than 40, this is already morbid, or so-called pathological obesity. Diets are less effective in such patients, and more impact on the body is required to lose weight.

 This is exactly the effect that surgery has. Surgical intervention is necessary because patients develop health problems due to excess weight – joint pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Surgery improves and prolongs the patient's life.

How should the patient get ready for the procedure?

Patients frequently want this procedure done right away, yet it is never done as an emergency anywhere in the globe. One needs to mentally and physically get ready for this. Typically, a multidisciplinary team that includes a surgeon and an endocrinologist works with the patient prior to surgery. In order to minimize hazards, the patient must first reduce a specific amount of weight before surgery. For each patient, we establish the number of kilograms to be lost and the duration of this process. At the same time, we conduct examinations. Overweight people often have erosions (ulcers) on the stomach, for which they are prescribed treatment before surgery. If everything is not in order, we do not perform surgery on the patient.

- How long does it take for a person to lose weight and what is the postoperative period like?

- Because these surgeries are performed laparoscopically, the body is less traumatized. Accordingly, the patient experiences less pain and complains less of weakness after the surgery. On the second day, they  stand up and move around independently. On the third day, we start feeding patients liquid food, and in 4-5 days, they  are discharged home. After three weeks, the patient begins to eat relatively solid food. Although each person's outcome is unique, patients typically remove excess weight 12–16 months following surgery. Additionally, after the procedure, a change in lifestyle is required since the stomach's flexibility causes its volume to expand once more, and patients regain 15% of their lost weight within three to five years. Following the procedure, individuals receive dietary and exercise advice. For instance, it is forbidden to chew gum, eat certain fruits and brown bread, drink liquids during meals, etc. The outcomes attained are maintained indefinitely by those who adhere to these guidelines.

For detailed information and to make an appointment with a doctor, call us at +995 577 059 900 or +995 322 12 25 25

Address: Dighomi, G. Zhvania 7 (former Lubliana 29)

Wish you health!