Bariatric Surgery, Benefits And Risk Factors: Q And A With Dr. Umar Javed

Bariatric surgery includes a variety of surgeries such as gastric bypass to counter obesity. This is done in cases where exercise and dietary changes have not helped the patient with weight loss; therefore, bariatric surgery is the last resort for the patient to lead a healthy comfortable life. Procedures are aimed to limit the intake of food and reducing the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. 

Dr. Mian Umar Javed is a general and laparoscopic surgeon in Lahore. In this session with oladoc, he talks about bariatric surgery. The discussion also covered the benefits, risk factors, and side effects of these surgeries.

Q.1: Tell us about laparoscopic surgery?

Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgery, using smaller cuts to eliminate the issue. A tiny camera is inserted in the patient’s body which makes it easier for the surgeon to operate, also making the recovery period relatively shorter. 

Q.2: What is bariatric surgery?

These surgeries are performed on patients who are morbidly obese, their height to weight ratio is significantly higher than normal. This weight also affects their other organs, for example, obese patients usually develop diabetes and heart-related problems. To counter these issues, bariatric surgery is performed; the stomach and small intestine are targeted to gradually reduce the weight after surgery has been performed. 

Q.3: What are the main reasons to perform bariatric surgery?

Well, as I said before, weight is the most important factor. Weight gain hampers patients day to day activities, for example, it can be extremely difficult to freely move around and lead a healthy life overall. The patient can overtime also develop difficulties with breathing and pain in joints, in females this can also lead to PCOS, which contributes to infertility and several other complications. 

Q.4: Who is a candidate for bariatric surgery?

BMI is an adequate measure of the patient’s height to weight ratio, if this ratio exceeds 25 the patient is unhealthy and if this number exceeds 30 then the patient is morbidly obese. This can make daily activities extremely difficult and can give rise to further issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes etcetera. 

Q.5: What is the safest form of weight loss surgery?

There are various different procedures targeting weight loss but according to recent studies, bariatric surgery is the safest and simplest method. It has been frequently opted in the west and now even in Pakistan because it shows optimum results. However there are some side effects, for example, there might be bleeding or leakage of the sleeve depending on the type of procedure performed. If proper precautions are taken, these side effects can be ruled out. 

The patient is likely to suffer from the deficiency of nutrients, vitamins and proteins. For this reason, a specialized diet plan catering to the needs of every patient along with various vitamins and nutrients are prescribed to the patient, this helps manage post-operative side effects effectively. If you want to learn more about the bariatric surgery benefits and risks, watch the full video.

You can also book an appointment with a top general surgeon through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT professional for your concerns.