1 0 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7
Time to Add Bariatric Surgery?
P
atients now have more surgical weight-loss options
than ever: sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastric
banding and intragastric balloon, as well as endoscopic
gastric plication and stomach aspiration — all are con-
sidered safe and reliable outpatient bariatric proce-
dures. Then there's gastric bypass, a major surgical procedure that
reduces the size of the stomach and lets food bypass part of the small
intestine. Although once considered inpatient only, this surgery has
slowly made inroads into "avant-garde" outpatient settings, says Scott
A. Cunneen, MD, FACS, FASMBS.
"Usually it's performed on lower-risk patients, with 23-hour outpatient
monitoring or some other aftercare," says Dr. Cunneen, the director of
metabolic and bariatric surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Weight-loss surgery can be your gain. Bill Donahue | Senior Editor
• GASTRIC SLEEVE It's estimated that 60% of U.S. bariatric patients opt for sleeve gastrectomy, 30% have gastric bypass and the
remaining 10% choose from among other bariatric procedures.