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Frequently Asked Questions
What do we offer?
We offer our patients our friendship before our professional services. We fully understand their situation and we offer our trust, without time limits, explaining in detail the complications that obesity generates and the related risks, as well as the types of surgical procedures for their problem.
What is the most appropriate procedure?
The most appropriate type of procedure varies from patient to patient depending on their body mass index and associated diseases secondary to obesity. Your bariatric surgeon will advise you on this matter.
How much does it cost?
The surgery varies in cost depending on the patient, type of procedure and hospital where it is performed. There are procedures that require more material (such as staples and devices to release them) as well as the size of the stomach itself, which varies from patient to patient. The total costs include fees + surgical material used + hospitalization (on average the latter is three days if there are no complications). It can vary from 9 thousand to 12 thousand dollars on average.
Are there serious risks in these surgeries?
No surgical procedure is harmless or free of complications or risks, much less so if the patient is obese. This type of patient requires special attention due to their multiple nutritional and immunological deficiencies and associated diseases (being obese does not mean being well nourished). Mortality in various series around the world fluctuates from 1 to 4% depending on the type of complication that occurs and the time of its detection.
Will surgery alone solve the problem of obesity?
Surgery is the only method that has high and sustained satisfactory results in obese patients, however, it is the beginning of the treatment of obesity, the rest depends on the motivation of the patient and the modification of his/her lifestyle.
How long is hospitalization required?
Generally, the patient requires three days of hospitalization if there are no complications during or after surgery. The average recovery time is 15 days to return to normal activities.
What results are expected?
The objective of surgical treatment is to improve the health condition of the severely obese patient so that his risk of disease and mortality decreases dramatically, as does the patient’s daily activity and self-esteem. Everything depends on the patient, the discipline, the follow-up with the multidisciplinary team, and the change of habits. It must be understood that surgery does not work miracles and that it is the beginning of a treatment to lose weight, that it is important to avoid carbohydrates and introduce oneself to the water culture, making it one’s favorite drink from now on.
What are the objectives of surgery?
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- Modify your dietary habits: You should eat foods with good nutritional content and avoid snacking between main meals.
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- Reduce the amount of calories you eat: To lose an appropriate amount of weight.
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- Avoid eating large amounts: To avoid vomiting, remember that the new stomach will store only small amounts of food.
Dangers and complications
Bariatric or obesity surgery is a high-risk surgery and is not free of serious complications. Complications may occur in up to 20% of patients. Mortality ranges from 1 to 2%. The most serious early complications that could occur are: heart attack, blood clots in the lungs, deep vein thrombosis in the legs, anastomotic leak (at the junction of the new stomach with the intestine). Late complications include: unsatisfactory weight loss, narrowing of the junction between the new stomach and the intestine (stenosis), dizziness, sweating, and low blood pressure when drinking very sweet drinks. Patients with bypass surgery may develop vitamin B12 and iron deficiency if they are not replaced. Sometimes, if the patient eats poorly chewed solid foods too quickly, vomiting may occur. A percentage of patients may experience hair loss caused by multiple factors; this loss will generally be limited to 6 months after surgery.
Medical Team
Bariatric surgery procedures are performed under strict patient selection by an expert group of doctors from different disciplines made up as follows:
Bariatric surgeon.
Determines who is or is not a candidate for surgery, as well as the most convenient type of procedure depending on the patient’s characteristics and risks. He is responsible for explaining the advantages, risks, and complications of the surgery. After the procedure, he is responsible for following up with the patient in conjunction with other specialists.
Cardiologist or internist.
They are responsible for performing the cardiovascular or cardiorespiratory assessment and informing the patient of the surgical risk and monitoring if he or she has any associated heart disease.
Nutritionist.
He is responsible for nutritionally assessing the patient before and after surgery in the short and long term. He does not provide a diet, but rather provides guidance to the patient to obtain a dietary discipline.
Psychiatry/psychology
He is responsible for studying the patient’s complete psychological profile. He helps determine if there is any disorder that puts the patient at risk or that leads to obesity. He provides support so that the patient arrives at the operating room fully convinced and with a positive attitude for surgery.
Anesthesiology.
Assesses the patient’s anesthetic-surgical risks, as well as monitoring during surgery and in the immediate postoperative period. Determines whether the patient requires support from the intensive care unit.
Endocrinology.
Assesses the patient from an endocrinological (glandular) point of view, detecting mainly thyroid disorders and whether treatment is required prior to surgery.
Treatment Alternatives
Most non-surgical weight loss programs are based on some combination of diet, behavioral modification, and regular exercise. It is estimated that less than 5% of obese people who participate in a strict non-surgical weight loss program lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss over a 5-year period. According to the National Institutes of Health in several countries, more than 90% of all people who participate in these programs regain their previous weight within a year.
Morbidly obese patients have an even harder time maintaining their lost weight because these poor results with diets produce discouragement and loss of self-esteem in the patient, since they achieve minimal weight loss and then a rebound effect that causes them to gain all the weight they lost. This is what is known as the “yo-yo” effect and is characterized by experiencing, perhaps, good weight loss and once this loss is achieved, with a great and long effort over months, the weight begins to be regained in a minimum amount of time. The result is no long-term, sustained effect, but rather weight fluctuations that ultimately lead to loss of self-esteem, depression and great anxiety because they are not effective.
The fact is that morbid obesity remains a complex, multifactorial chronic disease. Weight-loss surgery, compared to other medical treatments, has provided the longest period of sustained weight loss in patients for whom all other therapies have failed.
For many patients, the risk of death from not having surgery is greater than the risks of possible complications that could occur after these bariatric procedures. It is important to note that with the advances in stapling techniques and laparoscopic surgery, post-surgical complications have been significantly reduced.
Travel plans
Learn how to schedule and plan your surgery
We offer excellent accommodation and travel plans so that you do not have to worry about anything when it comes to your surgeries or treatments.
