Weight Loss Surgery (Bariatric Surgery)
A healthy weight is important for good health and living life to the fullest, but for many Australians - despite years of effort - a healthy weight is difficult to achieve and maintain. In fact 70% of men and 56% of women now fall in to the overweight or obese category, according to data from the Australian Medical Association (AMA).
Increasingly weight loss surgery (also known as bariatric surgery) is an option for those living with the consequences of weight gain such as diabetes, heart disease, reduced mobility and joint pain. Research has shown that bariatric surgery can significantly reduce the health impact of these conditions.
As with all surgery, the decision to proceed is one that is best reached through a discussion with your surgeon and/or GP and family.
Sydney Adventist Hospital (fondly known as the San) has highly qualified and experienced surgeons who can discuss options for weight loss. Before considering surgery, the surgeons conduct a comprehensive assessment of your medical and dietary history and from this information will recommend the most appropriate pathway and surgical technique for you. At the Sydney Adventist Hospital, surgeons have the option to perform this surgery using a laparoscopic approach or with the da Vinci robot, and we now also offer a new non-invasive weight loss procedure - Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty.
Caring for the whole person is an important part of the philosophy of Sydney Adventist Hospital. Before and after surgery, your surgeon works with a team including a nutritionist and psychologist to ensure fitness for surgery, and to facilitate safe, nutritionally sound, and effective weight loss for the long-term.
First performed by the renowned Mayo Clinic in 2012, this new type of weight loss procedure is now available at the San in an acute-care hospital environment.
Called endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), the procedure is performed by a specialist using endoscopic techniques to significantly reduce the size of the stomach by stitching it from the inside. While still performed under general anaesthetic, this non-invasive, non-surgical procedure is relatively short in duration. In most cases it enables the patient to return home after an overnight hospital stay and return to work or normal activity within just a few days.
The first ESG procedures were performed at the San under the supervision of Dr Christopher J Gostout, MD from the Mayo Clinic in the USA.