Yale-New Haven Hospital is the first and currently the only hospital in Connecticut that offers three different bariatric surgical treatments for obesity using minimally invasive (i.e. laparoscopic) techniques:

• Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the most common bariatric surgery, is when the upper portion of the stomach is stapled and the upper intestine is connected to the stomach. Food is rerouted so it does not come into contact with the main stomach area. Stomach size is reduced to the size of a golf ball making the patient feel fuller between meals.


• Lap-Band® surgery induces weight loss by reducing the capacity of the stomach. Surgeons implant an inflatable silicone band around the upper stomach to create a new, tiny stomach pouch that limits and controls the amount of food that can be consumed. There is no cutting, stapling or stomach rerouting involved.


• Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a new procedure for weight loss that is particularly suited to those patients at highest risk for surgery, either because of their medical history or their weight. This procedure is usually offered as a first-stage, lower-risk surgical alternative that serves as a bridge to other bariatric operations. It involves removing 80 percent of the stomach, leaving behind only a tube or a "sleeve" of stomach. This portion of stomach restricts the amount of food that a patient can eat and leads to significant weight loss.

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Resources

American Medical Association
American Society of Bariatric Physicians
American Society of Bariatric Surgery
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Office of the Surgeon General of the United States