Bariatric Revision Surgery

Do You Need Bariatric Revision Surgery?

As the number of patients who undergo bariatric surgery increases, the number of cases that require revision surgery for different reasons also has increased, mainly to achieve a weight goal, weight regain or acute and chronic complications.

The main surgery performed is gastric bypass, and the primary surgery is mostly gastric sleeve. There are also a large number of cases of gastric lap band or balloon removal converting to gastric sleeve. Achieving with this a more efficient and lasting weight loss, controlling or curing metabolic and associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemias, joint pain due to excess weight, or sleep apnea among others

Revision surgery is a defined procedure with a prior weight loss surgery, be it gastric balloon, gastric lap band, gastric sleeve or mini bypass.

When should I consider revision surgery?

Gastric band and balloon:

Both the lap band and the balloon are less and less used since up to 30-50% of patients fail to reach or sustain the desired weight, these are some of the reasons why gastric sleeve and gastric bypass became the gold standard to achieve sustained weight loss.

Weight regain:

There are multiple factors by which weight can be regain such as lack or inadequate medical, nutritional and psychological postoperative follow-up, depression, anxiety, pregnancy, stress, sudden changes in the rhythm of life or work, etc. So a revision surgery may be a suitable second chance for you.

Persistent symptoms:

Although the symptoms are minimal after choosing the correct primary surgery, there is a small percentage of patients who can develop acid reflux symptoms that do not yield to drug treatment, and revision surgery becomes an excellent option to solve this problem.

Difficult control of metabolic diseases:

When the first procedure has not been sufficient to adequately control or cure a condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, revision surgery is an option that should be consider according to your particular clinical case. Revision surgery, in these cases, may be the solution to get rid of several or all of your medications.

How long after primary surgery is it recommended to consider revision surgery?

Several factors are taken into account, depending on the primary procedure, the patient’s expectations and the risk-benefit. The time between one and another surgery ranges from 6 months to more than 10 years.