When talking with healthcare professionals, you’ll often hear them use the medical term bariatric surgery when referring to weight loss surgery. Bariatric (bear-ee-AT-ric) comes from the Greek words baros (weight) and iatros (medical treatment).
At AtlantiCare’s Center for Surgical Weight Loss & Wellness, we specialize in bariatric surgery – using methods the National Institutes of Health considers effective in treating morbid obesity.
- Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, one of the most successful options for morbidly obese patients to achieve significant weight reduction and to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle; and
Laparoscopic vs. Open Surgery
Laparoscopy is considered a more technologically advanced, less invasive approach to surgery. It requires that the surgeon have special training and skills in the laparoscopic technique.
While open surgery uses an 8- to 10-inch incision (cut) to open the abdomen, the laparoscopic approach involves six small incisions (¼ or ½ inches long). Through these small incisions, a fiber optic tube (the laparoscope) connected to a camera and long surgical instruments are inserted. Because the entire operation is performed “inside” the abdomen without a large incision, it is considered less invasive. Benefits for the patient include:
- Reduced recovery time due to less tissue damage (including the ability to return to work in two to three weeks, compared to four to six weeks for open surgery)
- Shorter hospital stay (average one to two days)
- Reduced rate of incisional hernias (when an abdominal incision does not heal properly) and infection
- Less discomfort after surgery
- Smaller scars
Next: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure »
|
