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Every weight loss journey is unique. We work with our patients to develop individualized weight loss plans that are effective, healthy and sustainable. We assess each patient individually and tailor their plan, so their weight-loss and overall wellness needs are addressed. For some, modifying lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise are sufficient to improve health. For others, bariatric surgery is the tool they need in the fight against obesity, helping them to achieve long-term weight loss.
Bariatric surgery, also called obesity or weight loss surgery, refers to surgical procedures performed on the stomach and/or intestines, which result in weight loss. There are many different types of bariatric surgery, including the non-invasive gastric balloon, which fills the stomach so you feel fuller, sooner, and gastric bypass, which limits the amount of food that the stomach can hold.
Bariatric surgery can offer long-term, life-changing results for obese patients. As well as drastic weight loss, most patients experience improvement in their overall health and quality of life. Bariatric surgery also reduces the risk of mortality from the many diseases that are related to obesity by as much as 30 - 40 percent, including diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.
Bariatric surgery is suitable for adults who are morbidly obese or obese with comorbidities. The criteria not only include weight and body mass index (BMI) but will take into consideration things such as associated health problems (such as diabetes) and dietary restrictions.
Standard eligibility criteria for weight loss surgery include:
Use our helpful calculator to discover your BMI.
Patients who are obese are at an increased risk of many serious or life-threatening health conditions and diseases, including:
For most patients, bariatric surgery is successful and offers long-term, significant weight loss. Success is defined as losing up to 50 percent of your excess weight and keeping it off for up to 5 years.
Weight loss surgery can also successfully address conditions associated with obesity:
Condition |
Percentage of patients resolved or improved |
---|---|
Type 2 diabetes |
86% |
Hypertension (high blood pressure) |
78.5% |
Obstructive sleep apnea |
85.7% |
Hyperlipidemia |
78.5% |
(Source: American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery)
To achieve the best results following weight loss surgery, it is important that patients adhere to the lifestyle changes recommended to them, such as diet change, increased physical activity, and behavior therapy.
We offer three types of bariatric surgery, in line with the highest international standards. The procedures are all laparoscopic, meaning they are performed on the abdomen in a minimally invasive way (also called keyhole surgery), aided by a camera.
To support your weight loss journey, we offer a range of services including support groups for anyone thinking of having bariatric surgery. This allows patients to meet people who have been on a similar journey and ask them questions.
Our Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Centre also offers consultation and medical support to people seeking weight loss surgery at the Imperial College London Diabetes Center in Al Ain. The service offers comprehensive, cross-discipline clinical support under one roof. Post-consultation, our bariatric team in Al Ain will refer patients to Healthpoint in Abu Dhabi where world-class, experienced bariatric surgeons will perform the most appropriate procedure.
Gastric bypass surgery, also called Roux-en-Y or RNY gastric bypass, is a common weight loss procedure which reduces the size of the stomach and the length of the small intestine.
The procedure involves creating a small pouch in the stomach, which can hold approximately 40 ml of food, and connecting it to the lower part of the small intestine. Food then passes from the esophagus to the small stomach pouch, and then into the intestine.
Gastric bypass surgery limits the amount of food that can be eaten, leaving the patient feeling full and satisfied quickly. As the food bypasses most of the stomach and the first part of the intestine, the digestive system can’t absorb all the calories from the food that is eaten, further reducing calorific intake and resulting in weight loss.
Benefits of the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery:
Risks of the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery:
A sleeve gastrectomy, or gastric sleeve, is a common procedure for weight loss. It involves changing the shape and reducing the size of the stomach. Around two thirds of the stomach are removed, with the remaining section being reshaped into a narrow tube or ‘sleeve’.
As the stomach is reduced in size, the amount of food that you can eat is limited and the feeling of hunger is reduced, meaning calorie intake is restricted.
Benefits of the Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure:
Risks of the Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure:
The intragastric balloon, or gastric balloon, offers overweight and obese patients a non-surgical option for weight loss. The non-invasive procedure takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is performed under mild sedation. A balloon is placed in the stomach via a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure and then inflated.
The intragastric balloon fills a portion of the stomach, reducing the amount of food you can eat and leaves you feeling fuller for longer. The balloon is then removed 6 or 12 months later.
Benefits of the Intragastric Balloon:
Bariatric surgery offers most obese patients significant, long-term weight loss when other methods have not been successful. As well as life-changing, sustainable weight loss, bariatric surgery offers many other benefits:
As with all surgeries, there are some health risks associated with bariatric surgery that can have implications both in the short- and long-term. Your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks with you in detail before any medical procedure.
Ahead of surgery, you will be put on a special diet for 2 weeks to reduce the size of your liver and to increase the overall safety of the procedure. The week before your procedure you will meet with the anesthesiologist to undergo a full evaluation.
On the day of the surgery, you will meet with your surgeon and anesthesiologist. Gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy are both performed under general anesthesia. They are laparoscopic surgeries, which means that the procedure is carried out using a thin, tubular instrument with a high-resolution camera attached, called a Laparoscope. This allows the surgeon to see inside your abdomen and operate without making large incisions, which contributes toward a swifter recovery. Both surgical options usually take 1 - 2 hours.
After surgery, you will be moved to a recovery room and closely monitored by medical staff. After 4 hours, you will be encouraged to walk around, as this reduces the risk of complications, and encouraged to start drinking fluids. Typically, you will be asked to stay in hospital for 1 - 2 days so you can continue to be monitored.
Post-surgery you will be on a fluid diet for one week and then a pureed diet for another week. You will then start a soft food diet for one week, and then start regular small meals on the fourth week.
In the months following your weight loss surgery, you will receive frequent follow-up appointments with your medical team to monitor your health and to review progress.
Gastric bypass surgery, also called Roux-en-Y or RNY gastric bypass, is a common weight loss procedure which reduces the size of the stomach and the length of the small intestine.
The procedure involves creating a small pouch in the stomach, which can hold approximately 40 ml of food, and connecting it to the lower part of the small intestine. Food then passes from the esophagus to the small stomach pouch, and then into the intestine.
Gastric bypass surgery limits the amount of food that can be eaten, leaving the patient feeling full and satisfied quickly. As the food bypasses most of the stomach and the first part of the intestine, the digestive system can’t absorb all the calories from the food that is eaten, further reducing calorific intake and resulting in weight loss.
Benefits of the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery:
Risks of the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery:
A sleeve gastrectomy, or gastric sleeve, is a common procedure for weight loss. It involves changing the shape and reducing the size of the stomach. Around two thirds of the stomach are removed, with the remaining section being reshaped into a narrow tube or ‘sleeve’.
As the stomach is reduced in size, the amount of food that you can eat is limited and the feeling of hunger is reduced, meaning calorie intake is restricted.
Benefits of the Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure:
Risks of the Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedure:
The intragastric balloon, or gastric balloon, offers overweight and obese patients a non-surgical option for weight loss. The non-invasive procedure takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is performed under mild sedation. A balloon is placed in the stomach via a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure and then inflated.
The intragastric balloon fills a portion of the stomach, reducing the amount of food you can eat and leaves you feeling fuller for longer. The balloon is then removed 6 or 12 months later.
Benefits of the Intragastric Balloon:
Bariatric surgery offers most obese patients significant, long-term weight loss when other methods have not been successful. As well as life-changing, sustainable weight loss, bariatric surgery offers many other benefits:
As with all surgeries, there are some health risks associated with bariatric surgery that can have implications both in the short- and long-term. Your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks with you in detail before any medical procedure.
Ahead of surgery, you will be put on a special diet for 2 weeks to reduce the size of your liver and to increase the overall safety of the procedure. The week before your procedure you will meet with the anesthesiologist to undergo a full evaluation.
On the day of the surgery, you will meet with your surgeon and anesthesiologist. Gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy are both performed under general anesthesia. They are laparoscopic surgeries, which means that the procedure is carried out using a thin, tubular instrument with a high-resolution camera attached, called a Laparoscope. This allows the surgeon to see inside your abdomen and operate without making large incisions, which contributes toward a swifter recovery. Both surgical options usually take 1 - 2 hours.
After surgery, you will be moved to a recovery room and closely monitored by medical staff. After 4 hours, you will be encouraged to walk around, as this reduces the risk of complications, and encouraged to start drinking fluids. Typically, you will be asked to stay in hospital for 1 - 2 days so you can continue to be monitored.
Post-surgery you will be on a fluid diet for one week and then a pureed diet for another week. You will then start a soft food diet for one week, and then start regular small meals on the fourth week.
In the months following your weight loss surgery, you will receive frequent follow-up appointments with your medical team to monitor your health and to review progress.
At Healthpoint, we have a team of world-class, experienced bariatric surgeons and weight management specialists. All our surgeons, consultants and members of the weight loss team are trained in specialized surgical techniques and long-term care to help our patients achieve controlled weight loss.
Our expert bariatric surgeons follow Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and international best practice guidelines, from the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders and the American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.
Healthpoint’s Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Centre is a recognized center of excellence in metabolic and bariatric surgery from the American Surgical Review Corporation since April 2017. This accreditation is upheld by our surgeons, dieticians, nurses and coordinators, all of whom are certified Bariatric Care Specialists.
The Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Centre is listed in the IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity) global registry 2017, and 2018.
A gastric sleeve procedure is not reversable as a portion of the stomach is removed. Gastric bypass surgery is reversible but requires an operation which carries risk associated with it. Gastric balloons are completely reversible, as the balloon is removed after several months.
The results you see following weight loss surgery, and how soon you see them, will depend on many things including the type of surgery you had, your original weight and the changes you make to your lifestyle post-surgery. As well as weight loss, many patients notice positive improvements in obesity-related conditions and overall quality of life.
In general, weight loss surgery is considered successful if you lose 50 percent of excess body weight and keep it off for at least five years. Most patients achieve this, and some patients can expect to lose half of their excess body weight within two years.
Yes, you can regain the weight that is initially lost if you don’t adopt a healthy lifestyle. Your medical team will work with you to develop a healthy diet and exercise plan that you must stick to long-term to maintain results.
Due to the drastic amount of weight loss that follows bariatric surgery, patients often experience sagging skin. The amount of loose skin will depend on your starting weight, how the weight was distributed on the body, and other factors such as genetics. Your doctor will discuss ways you can address loose skin with you post-surgery.
As with any surgery, there are risks associated with weight loss procedures. Your doctor will discuss these, and any potential side effects, with you in detail ahead of your planned procedure.