Weight Loss Surgery

Being overweight can put an unhealthy strain on the body and cause serious health problems. Bariatric surgery offers new hope to those who struggle with healthy weight management and includes reducing the size of the stomach as well as helping to decrease the amount of food a person can eat, while helping them feel full longer. Results can be dramatic, with patients losing an average of 60-70 percent of excess body weight within twelve to eighteen months after surgery. Overall, the goal of bariatric surgery is to achieve and sustain a reasonable normal weight with a reduction in health risk factors associated with obesity.

Personalized Surgical Options

If you or a loved one are in need of bariatric surgery, the Institute for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Jupiter Medical Center may be right for you. We are a nationally recognized program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care. The program involves more than just a surgical procedure; it is a multidisciplinary approach to care by specially trained physician and staff, which has been shown to improve patient outcomes.

Our program offers comprehensive, personalized preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for severely obese patients.

  • The Institute also offers:
  • One of Florida’s longest-running weight loss surgery programs with high success rates and low complication rates
  • Access to a registered dietitian
  • Hospital staff specially trained in bariatric sensitivity
  • Healthy Steps support group (participation highly recommended for successful outcomes)
  • Complimentary access to the Cary Grossman Health & Wellness Center at Jupiter Medical Center for three months after surgery and training with an exercise specialist
  • Competitive, all-inclusive self-pay pricing

Surgical Options Include

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Gastric bypass surgery is considered the “Gold Standard” of bariatric surgical procedures with the best demonstrated rate of long-term success in weight management. This operation restricts the amount of solid food that can be ingested at one time and limits the rate at which calories are absorbed in the small intestine. The laparoscopic technique is minimally-invasive and can be performed through five or six small incisions in the abdomen.

Gastric bypass surgery has been shown to produce greater and more sustained weight loss than other operations.

It does this in four ways:

  • The amount of solid food that you can eat is restricted by the size of the pouch.
  • The small opening into the small intestine slows the flow of food.
  • Up to 150 centimeters of small intestine is bypassed and therefore rendered “non-absorptive.”
  • Food containing solid sugar such as cake, candy, ice creams and some colas will produce a temporary, unpleasant reaction. This is caused by a concentration of sugars in the small intestine, producing nausea, tremors, chills, sweating, palpitations and diarrhea. The goal is to discourage poor food choices in the future.

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that generates weight loss by permanently removing much of the stomach without bypassing the intestines or causing any gastrointestinal malabsorption.

During this procedure, a small, sleeve-shaped stomach is created, about the size of a banana. Sleeve Gastrectomy is sometimes performed on patients whose risk of having a gastric bypass procedure may be too great.

Sleeve Gastrectomy, like most successful bariatric surgery procedures, will reduce or resolve many co-morbidities including hypertension, type-2 diabetes, sleep apnea, depression and others.

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding

Adjustable gastric banding involves the laparoscopic placement of an adjustable band around the upper stomach, creating two connected chambers of the stomach. An injection port is attached to the abdominal wall underneath the skin and connected to the band with soft, thin tubing.

It restricts the amount of food allowed into the stomach, providing early fullness with small, solid meals. The band can be adjusted by the surgeon to meet an individual’s needs.

The adjustable gastric banding procedure is reversible and produces a slower overall weight loss than the sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass.