Bariatric Surgery
When you choose weight-loss surgery, you want a team of dedicated and experienced
experts with your best health outcomes in mind. At OU Health, you benefit
from a multidisciplinary team of medical weight loss specialists ready
to help you at every step of your journey toward a healthier life.
Expert Bariatric Surgery Procedures Near You
No matter where you live in Oklahoma or throughout the region, you can
take advantage of the skilled metabolic and bariatric surgery experts
at OU Health in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
You’ll receive guidance from a highly trained metabolic and bariatric
surgery team that helps you navigate the approval and preparation process
for a successful procedure and performs the appropriate operation to help
you achieve your goals. After surgery, you also benefit from extensive
support for lifestyle and nutrition changes that assist you in keeping
the weight off and staying healthy.
Choosing a Procedure
As you and your OU Health bariatric surgery team assess your options, you’ll
learn about the most typical surgical procedures, including
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy, performed with minimally invasive, laparoscopic
approaches that reduce incision size and help ease your recovery.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
In this procedure, your surgeon divides the stomach into two sections,
with the smaller portion (pouch) surgically attached to a lower area of
the small intestine. The newly created stomach pouch can only accommodate
smaller quantities of food.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
During
sleeve gastrectomy, your surgeon makes a few small incisions in your abdomen and removes
70 to 80 percent of the stomach. Staples in the remaining stomach portion
forming a small, oblong tube called the sleeve that connects the esophagus
to the small intestine functions as the new, much smaller stomach. Like
bypass surgery, sleeve gastrectomy significantly reduces the quantity
of food the stomach can accommodate.
Watch a
short bariatric surgery video to learn more.
Seminars & Support for Weight-Loss Surgery
To help you and your doctor determine the best options for your particular
situation, take advantage of a
virtual informational seminar with OU Health bariatric surgeons where you’re guided through the
process of preparing for and undergoing a procedure.
Seminars cover the various options for losing weight and what to expect
if you choose surgery or medical intervention. In addition, when you receive
proper guidance and support for life after your surgery, you’re
more likely to achieve and maintain successful weight loss. The OU Health
team of dieticians, physical therapists and behavioral health specialists
help you learn smart eating habits and get physically fit while creating
a healthful lifestyle.
Measuring Body Mass Index
Before you receive approval for surgery, your OU Health metabolic physicians
calculate and consider your
body mass index (BMI).
With a BMI of 40 or higher (obese) or a BMI between 35 and 39.9 (overweight),
the excess weight can cause other health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes,
high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
Even with a BMI between 30 and 34, and serious health problems related
to weight, you may be a candidate for bariatric surgery.
Medical Tests for Surgery Readiness
A comprehensive physical evaluation at OU Health helps ensure you’re
healthy enough for surgery and recovery. Before approving weight loss
surgery, your doctor requires many of the following medical tests, including:
- Blood tests to check for anemia, infection, hormone levels and kidney function
- Chest X-ray to evaluate the health of your heart and lungs
- Echocardiogram for additional information about your heart
- Electrocardiogram to assess your heart rhythm
- Pulmonary function tests to evaluate the health of your lungs
- Screenings for nutrient deficiencies
Your After-Surgery Support Team
Depending on your specific bariatric surgery procedure, you’ll need
to learn new nutritional habits after weight loss surgery. Trust the registered
dieticians and nutritionists on your OU Health bariatric surgery care
team to help you create new habits for weight loss success and to follow
up with you about your progress.
For successful weight loss and the best health benefits, you’ll receive
expert advice on how to eat for the first few weeks following bariatric
surgery. After starting with only liquids for a few weeks, you’ll
move to pureed foods and regular foods, although with several restrictions.
You’ll work with the weight loss and metabolic professionals at OU
Health to ensure a safe bariatric surgery procedure followed by comprehensive,
ongoing monitoring for optimal results.
Your Expert Weight Loss, Bariatric & Metabolic Services Team
At OU Health, your multidisciplinary metabolic and bariatric surgery care
team brings together many healthcare professionals to focus on your individual
situation and develop a personalized plan to meet your specific needs.
Your team members include board-certified surgeons, physical therapists,
dietitians, behavioral health specialists and internal medicine providers
who collaborate with you to achieve the best possible outcomes for your
situation.