At Mountainside Medical Center, we understand that weight loss surgery is a big decision that can change your life. That’s why our bariatric doctors are prepared to answer your questions and offer you support every step of the way on your weight loss journey. We offer weight loss seminars and a variety of surgical treatments, including gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy, for patients who are eligible for bariatric surgery. Whenever possible, we also offer minimally invasive techniques and laparoscopic surgery to help reduce scarring and speed up recovery times.
To learn more about our weight loss surgery treatments, please call
(973) 429-6000When diet, exercise and medication aren’t working, weight loss surgery may be an option for treating obesity. Research from The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery shows that patients may lose as much as 60% of excess weight six months after weight loss surgery, and up to 77% of excess weight a year after surgery. The majority of patients also see comorbidities like diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and sleep apnea decrease or go away altogether after weight loss surgery.
You may be eligible for weight loss surgery if your body mass index (BMI) is higher than 40. If you have serious health conditions like diabetes or heart disease, bariatric surgery may be beneficial if your BMI is between 35 and 40. Patients with a BMI below 35 do not qualify for weight loss surgery.
If you’d like to learn more about bariatric surgery, attending a free seminar is a great place to start. Click here to browse our seminars.
There are two types of weight loss surgery: restrictive procedures and malabsorptive procedures. Restrictive procedures aim to decrease your food intake by reducing the size of the stomach. Malabsorptive procedures bypass a portion of the food directly to the small intestines, limiting the amount of nutrients the body absorbs.
At Mountainside Medical Center, our skilled surgeons are trained to perform various bariatric surgical procedures. Whenever possible, your doctor will perform surgeries laparoscopically or using minimally-invasive techniques.
We offer the following weight loss surgeries:
After your surgery, our bariatric doctors will connect you with various resources, including support groups, dieticians, and other forms of follow-up care, to ensure you achieve your long-term weight loss goals.
If you’re ready to schedule a consultation
Call (888) 973-4674 or visit MountainsideHosp.com/find-physicianIf you are considering bariatric surgery, you will need to call your insurance company to verify your plan includes bariatric benefits for the treatment of morbid obesity.
You will need the following information from your insurance company:
In case you need to contact your insurance company again, write down the name of the representative you spoke to, as well as a reference number for the call.
Here are the specific codes your insurance company may request:
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, there are two basic approaches to weight loss surgery:
At Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center, we perform the following minimally invasive surgeries:
The sleeve gastrectomy is an operation in which the left side of the stomach is surgically removed, leaving it roughly the size and shape of a banana. The nerves to the stomach and the outlet valve remain intact to preserve the functions of the stomach while drastically reducing its volume.
By comparison, when a gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y) procedure is performed, the stomach is divided rather than removed and it can be reconnected (reversed) if necessary. There is no intestinal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy procedures, only stomach reduction.
The Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding procedure controls the amount of food that you can eat at one time. A hollow silicone band, placed around the top of your stomach, creates a small pouch and narrow passageway into the rest of the stomach, thereby limiting the amount of food you can consume. The band is then inflated with a saline solution. After food enters the pouch, it slowly empties into the rest of the stomach. Liquids pass through the narrow opening created by the band while denser foods are delayed from passing through.
Band adjustments occur six to eight weeks after surgery and as needed thereafter. For example, the band can be adjusted during pregnancy to allow for appropriate nutritional intake. Patients considering this procedure are carefully screened for dietary habits and preferences as well as pre-existing gastroesophageal reflux disease.
In recent years, better clinical understanding of procedures combining restrictive and malabsorptive approaches has increased the choices of effective weight loss surgery for thousands of patients. By adding a technique called malabsorption, food is delayed in mixing with bile and pancreatic juices that aid in the absorption of nutrients. The result is an early sense of fullness, combined with a sense of satisfaction that reduces the desire to eat.
According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the current gold standard procedure for weight loss surgery. It is one of the most frequently performed weight loss procedures in the United States. In this procedure, stapling creates a small (15 to 20 cc) stomach pouch. The remainder of the stomach is not removed, but is completely stapled shut and divided from the stomach pouch. The outlet from this newly formed pouch empties directly into the lower portion of the jejunum, thus bypassing calorie absorption. This is done by dividing the small intestine just beyond the duodenum for the purpose of bringing it up and constructing a connection with the newly formed stomach pouch. The other end is connected into the side of the Roux limb of the intestine creating the "Y" shape that gives the technique its name. The length of either segment of the intestine can be increased to produce lower or higher levels of malabsorption.
These procedures are known as laparoscopic. When a laparoscopic operation is performed, a tiny video camera and surgical instruments are inserted through small incisions made in the abdominal wall and the surgeon views the procedure on a separate high definition video monitor.
This provides the laparoscopic surgeon with better visualization and access to key anatomical structures while also eliminating the need for one long abdominal incision.
Studies have proven that patients who have laparoscopic weight loss surgery experience less pain after surgery, as well as easier breathing, improved lung function and higher oxygen levels. Other benefits of laparoscopy include fewer wound complications such as infection or hernia and a quicker return to pre-surgery activity levels.
Laparoscopic procedures for weight loss employ the same principles as their "open" surgery counterparts and produce similar excess weight loss. However, not all patients are candidates for this approach and all bariatric surgeons are not trained in the advanced techniques required to perform this less invasive method. The American Society for Bariatric Surgery recommends that laparoscopic weight loss surgery should only be performed by surgeons who are experienced in both laparoscopic and open bariatric procedures.
Weight loss surgery is major surgery. Although most patients enjoy an improvement in obesity-related health conditions (such as mobility, self-image and self-esteem) after the successful results of weight loss surgery, these results should not be the overriding motivation for having the procedure. The goal is to live better, healthier and longer. This surgery is only a tool. Your ultimate success depends on strict adherence to the recommended dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes.
It is important to remember that there are no ironclad guarantees in any kind of medicine or surgery. There can be unexpected outcomes in even the simplest procedures. What can be said, however, is that weight loss surgery will only succeed when the patient makes a lifelong commitment? Some of the challenges facing a person after weight loss surgery can be unexpected. Lifestyle changes can strain relationships within families and between married couples. To help patients achieve their goals and deal with the changes surgery and weight loss can bring, most bariatric surgeons offer follow-up care that includes support groups, dieticians and other forms of continuing education.
We’re here to help you start your journey to better health. We offer free seminars to explain every step of the weight loss process and what you can expect.
If you’re ready to schedule a consultation, call 888-973-4674 or visit mountainsidehosp.com/find-physician
You are not alone. Take a minute to read success stories from others that have already undergone bariatric surgery.