Bariatric Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center

Roux-en Y gastric bypass alters the digestion process by making foods incompletely absorbed and quickly eliminated in the stool.

Key Features of Gastric Bypass:

• It is the current gold standard for weight loss surgery. 
• The stomach is not removed, but rather reduced in size by stapling a smaller stomach pouch. 
• The outlet from this new pouch empties directly into the lower portion of the small intestines, “bypassing” calorie absorption while creating a sense of satisfaction with less food. 
• The surgery also impacts the amount of ghrelin that is produced. Ghrelin is a hormone that may be partly responsible for making you feel hungry.

Dr. Mark Colquitt performs the Roux-en Y procedure via robotically-assisted surgery. Learn more about gastric bypass in this five-minute video from Dr. Colquitt:

The “gastric sleeve” procedure decreases food intake by permanently reducing the size of the stomach.’

Key Features of Gastric Sleeve:

• The surgery removes about 85 percent of the stomach, resulting in a stomach about the size and shape of a banana. 
• This 85 percent includes the portion of the stomach that produces ghrelin, a hormone responsible for appetite and hunger. When ghrelin isn’t present, a reduction in appetite results.
• Instead of patients losing weight because their bodies do not absorb calories, patients with a gastric sleeve lose weight because their bodies are restricting the amount of food that can be consumed. Less food means fewer calories. 
• It is important to note that the gastric sleeve procedure is not reversible.

As with any weight loss procedure, success is dependent upon the patient’s commitment to weight loss.

For a variety of reasons a small number of patients may experience the need for a revision or conversion of their original bariatric operation. Sometimes individuals benefit from an additional procedure to relieve symptoms of nausea or if they have not successfully achieved significant lasting weight loss, for example.

A revision will retain and modify your original procedure, while a conversion will replace an unsatisfactory procedure with a different one. Our bariatric surgeons are experienced in the revision and conversion of previous weight loss surgery. They can evaluate a patient’s situation and recommend the appropriate treatment.

Please note, our center only performs repairs of previous LAP-band surgeries. We do not perform LAP-band procedures.