Menu
Pre-op assessment
A rigorous approach to pre-operative assessment and preparation is important for all weight loss surgery, regardless of type, and it’s something we pay extra attention to at Healthier Weight.
We regard it as more important for revision surgery than for primary procedures. There are two reasons for for this:
- The incidence rates for complications are higher with revision surgery, and
- Having had one weight loss procedure fail, we want to make sure that the risk of a second failure are minimised. This means we’ll pay added attention to your capability to cope with the post-operative diet and eating regime required for success.
Our approach is motivated entirely by our commitment to seeing patients succeed. We want to avoid the need for any further surgery in the future if at all possible.
Here are the steps we take to maximise your prospects of success:
- Initial telephone consultation with a revision surgery expert within our team
- Face to face consultation with a specialist surgeon. We limit revision surgery to only those surgeons who are most experienced in it. This is proven to reduce risk. See our revision surgery team here
- Diagnostic testing as necessary to diagnose the reason you are experiencing problems with your primary procedure. This would most commonly involve a barium x-ray. See information on diagnostic testing here
- Review by our internal multidisciplinary team, including an independent surgeon and members of our clinical management team. Independent dietitians and psychologists are involved in this process.
- Detailed information on the procedure and the diet, eating and exercise regime required for success
- Pre-operative assessment at the hospital where your surgery will take place
- Pre-operative telephone call by Healthier Weight’s nursing team to ensure you are fully prepared
Revision diagnostic testing
We use a range of diagnostic tests in order to accurately diagnose and inform our revision surgery decisions. They include the following:
Clinic reviews with our nursing team – This is where diagnosis usually begins, and in all cases for gastric band patients. If a patient has a suspected leak from their band the diagnostic process will involve a number of regular clinic visits for volume checks. X-rays are notoriously poor for diagnosing port leaks.
Barium x-ray – This will always be needed for patients who have a failing bypass or sleeve procedure. On occasion we will use it for band patients too. This is in cases where a slippage or leak from the band or tubing (not the access port) is suspected.
Gastroscopy – This is a more invasive investigation that involved placing a camera into the oesophagus (gullet) and stomach through the mouth. This procedure is done under sedation so is relatively painless. Its very rare that a gastroscopy would be needed. The most common cause would be to diagnose a suspected erosion in a gastric band patient.
Call us today on 0800 313 4618 to schedule your free of charge surgeon consultation or complete the form on this page.
Arrange a call
If you’d like to talk to a specialist about a revisional procedure, please complete this form.