The gastric sleeve is the fastest growing weight loss surgery procedure in the world because it delivers excellent weight loss results and improvements to health. The knock-on effect of both is that it also helps patients achieve an improved quality of life.

The primary reason most patients choose gastric sleeve is to lose weight. It’s a very powerful procedure and most studies show an average excess weight loss of 60-70%* over a 2 year period. One of the attractions is that the weight is usually lost quickly, as the procedure reduces and changes appetite. You’ll see in our patient success stories section that people achieve spectacular results with the sleeve.

What is a gastric sleeve?

The gastric sleeve is a simple concept, around 80% of the stomach is removed through a keyhole incision which means you’ll be fuller, faster. After sleeve surgery, the food that you eat will still enter and exit the stomach in the same place as it did before, but you’ll have a much smaller stomach.

The sleeve helps you lose weight in two ways; it reduces the capacity of your stomach and it also changes the balance of hormones and proteins in the stomach. The change in gut hormones, including changes to GLP1, alter and suppress appetite. For this reason, we expect sleeve patients to lose weight quickly.

A global trend

In the USA, it is estimated that gastric sleeve surgery made up only 17.8% of all bariatric procedures back in 2011. The gastric bypass was the procedure of choice back then accounting for around 36.7% of all weight loss procedures. Seven years later, the gastric sleeve accounted for a massive 61.4% of all procedures in 2018 in the US. The gastric bypass was second with a mere 17.0%.*

The complication rate of the gastric sleeve procedure is also very low. At Healthier Weight, we have completed 1,112 gastric sleeves and had only 23 complications… that’s a rate of only 2.06%. Furthermore, the mortality rate is 0%, although that’s the same for all of the weight loss procedures that we offer.**

Health benefits after gastric sleeve surgery

Here are the benefits you can expect from your sleeve surgery. These are taken from respected scientific journals and the relevant publications are shown at the foot of this page.

• Type 2 Diabetes

The sleeve is an excellent procedure for diabetics and 80% of patients can expect a complete resolution of their symptoms

• Raised Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

85-90% of patients who are taking medication to reduce their blood pressure can expect top stop medication altogether.

• Sleep Apnoea

Patients see improved sleep patterns and reduced fatigue. Over 85% of patients who use a CPAP machine will be able to stop.

• Infertility and PCOS

A very important consideration for some sleeve patients is that they want to lose weight to start or grow their family. Over 90% of sleeve patients improve their underlying hormonal well-being and restore fertility.

• Back Pain and Arthritis

An important consideration for many patients is that their weight is being to impact on their mobility and is causing joint pain. The sleeve can help this by reducing the load that joints are bearing. Studies show that patients report increased mobility after sleeve surgery.

• Mental Wellbeing

This is a very important benefit of the gastric sleeve. Often, patients have been dealing with mental health issues associated with their weight for many years. Studies show that sleeve patients report a reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms. They also report a significant improvement in overall quality of life.

We have witnessed some inspiring stories over the years from patients who have seen their health problems massively improve as a result of the gastric sleeve procedure. Watch this short video to see first hand the positive effects weight loss surgery can have on peoples lives.

Each weight loss procedure has its own unique benefits, the gastric band is reversible, the gastric balloon is temporary, but both the gastric bypass and gastric sleeve have proven to be the most effective ways to lose weight and keep it off in the long term. Perhaps one of the reasons the gastric sleeve is becoming more popular than the bypass is because it is cheaper.

As always, it entirely depends on the individual case to determine which procedure is best. If you’re thinking of having a weight loss procedure but are unsure which is right for you, you can call the Healthier Weight team on 0800 313 4618 to get some information on the surgical and non-surgical treatment options available to you, or click the button below to get a quote.

*Statistics taken from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)

**Healthier Weight statistics correct as of 14/08/20

Article by Mr Rishi Singhal MBBS, MRCS, FRCS, MD

Last review: 14/08/2020. All content on this page is reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team lead by Mr Rishi Singhal.