Weight loss surgery
Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is performed on patients with obesity. There are several types of bariatric procedures, but all focus on making modifications to the digestive system with the goal of significant weight loss.
Bariatric surgeons in Palm Beach County
Weight loss can feel discouraging, but there are solutions to get you where you want to go.
At HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, our bariatric (weight loss) center is here to help you achieve your goals and renew your life. We offer surgical and medical weight loss solutions as options to help you determine your best path forward.
Are you a candidate for weight loss surgery
If you have been unable to sustain a healthy weight using conservative measures, you may be a good candidate for weight loss surgery. Our online assessment tool can be a great way to get started.
If you have been unable to sustain a healthy weight using conservative measures, you may be a good candidate for weight loss surgery. Our online assessment tool can be a great way to get started.
Weight management services we offer
We cater our care to your unique circumstances. In addition to leading-edge surgical options, we offer medical solutions and personalized postoperative care.
Bariatric surgeries we offer
Weight-management surgery involves a major life change, but we are with you for the long haul to ensure lasting success. Ultimately, the specifics of your condition will determine the procedure you require, and we offer numerous options to be able to address whatever you may be experiencing.
Adjustable gastric banding
Gastric banding is a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure where our surgeons place an inflatable silicone band around the upper portion of your stomach. This creates a new, smaller pouch, which limits the amount of food you can eat.
With your stomach readjusted as this smaller pouch, you will feel full sooner with smaller amounts of food, potentially losing up to 40 percent of your excess weight in around three years. Gastric banding procedures are typically performed on an outpatient basis, and allow for normal activities to be resumed after about a week.
Laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (gastric sleeve)
If your condition dictates that a gastric sleeve procedure is best for you, your surgeon will remove approximately two-thirds of your stomach, shaping it into a sleeve-like shape. Used as a first step towards a gastric bypass, the gastric sleeve procedure results in a quicker sense of fullness and a decrease in appetite.
Upon receiving gastric sleeve surgery, you have the potential to lose up to 50 or 60 percent of your excess body weight in just 18 months.
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB)
RGB is the most common gastric bypass procedure, creating a small pouch that is separate from the rest of the stomach. Once the pouch has been established, a section of the small intestine is then attached to the pouch, allowing food to bypass the first portion of the small intestine. This reduces your overall calorie and nutrient absorption, allowing faster weight loss to take place.
Gastric bypass procedures typically result in faster weight loss than gastric banding and sleeve procedures, but also require a two- or three-day hospital stay. The procedure carries a longer recovery period, requiring about four-to-five weeks before it is safe for you to resume regular, daily activity.
Weight loss revision surgery
While weight loss surgery can be a life-changing endeavor, on some occasions, it is not as effective as you might like, or may not take to your body as well as it should. Revision surgery is used to correct any issues that you may have had with your initial procedure, requiring complex precision to build off the previous work and get your body to a place where surgery can produce the results you need.
Obesity medicine program
Our obesity medicine program is a nonsurgical avenue for achieving and maintaining significant weight loss. Working with a multidisciplinary team of bariatric specialists, you will find that each team member offers a unique skillset to aide in your continued success.
Features of our program include:
- Emotional counseling and support
- Fitness and exercise coaching
- Healthy lifestyle planning with nutritional evaluation
- Physical evaluation
- Weight loss education and guidance
Candidates for weight loss surgery
Weight loss surgery is certainly not for everyone, but we work with you to help determine if this type of transformative procedure could be right for you.
Weight loss surgery eligibility
The exact tests, forms and steps required before moving forward with weight loss surgery can vary from person to person. However, there are several factors that absolutely must be considered before surgery can become a viable option, such as:
- You are 100 pounds or more over the healthy body weight for your height
- You are otherwise unable to sustain a healthy body weight, even through medically supervised dieting
- You have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater
- You have a BMI of 35 or greater, as well as obesity-related health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes
Once these factors have been carefully considered and evaluated, there are several additional steps that must be taken before surgery. These include:
- Bariatric surgery consultation scheduling
- Determining payment options, including self-pay if you have no insurance
- Insurance verification, including documentation of of medically monitored weight loss attempts
- Nutritional assessment
- Psychological evaluation
If you feel you are a suitable candidate for weight loss surgery and wish to move forward, please complete this contact form and one of our coordinators will reach out to you in one-to-two business days.
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