Gastric Sleeve

The gastric sleeve, a bariatric surgery, jumpstarts weight loss for people in New Jersey by reducing the size of your stomach so you eat less and feel full faster.

Before

Gastric Sleeve

After

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Weight Loss With Gastric Sleeve

Gastric sleeve surgery (or vertical sleeve gastrectomy, VSG) is the most common weight loss procedure performed in the US, and the most frequent bariatric surgery performed at the New Jersey Bariatric Center®.

The gastric sleeve procedure jumpstarts weight loss for people in NJ by removing a portion of the stomach and narrowing the remaining parts to the size of a banana or a thin vertical “sleeve.” A smaller sized stomach leaves you feeling fuller on much smaller portions of food and allows for normal digestion of nutrients. Gastric sleeve also causes the secretion of fewer hunger hormones – grehlins – resulting in less overall hunger leading to weight loss. On average, patients lose between 40-70% of their excess body weight as early as 12 months after gastric sleeve surgery.

How Much Weight Can I Lose With Gastric Sleeve?

Health Improvements and Benefits

Health Benefits

The gastric sleeve procedure results in sustained, long-term weight loss and improves, and in some cases resolves, obesity-related illnesses such as:

77%

Type 2 Diabetes

77% of patients have resolution²

62%

Hypertension

62% of patients have resolution²

84%

Sleep Apnea

84% of patients have resolution²

With type type 2 diabetes, after gastric sleeve surgery many patients stop taking their diabetic or high blood pressure medication before they leave the hospital and before weight loss. With sleep apnea, there is improvement, and often complete resolution as weight loss results in the opening of air passages.

Side Effects & Risks

As with any surgery, there are also side effects and risks to consider with weight loss procedures. When deciding whether gastric sleeve surgery is right for you, the potential health benefits must outweigh the potential risks. To learn more about specific complications associated with this procedure, visit our Side Effects & Risks page.

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Do I Qualify for Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

To qualify, a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater or a BMI of 35 with obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea should exist.

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Gastric Sleeve Costs

For individuals living with obesity, the gastric sleeve (vertical sleeve gastrectomy or VSG) with New Jersey Bariatric Center® represents a transformative solution for long-term weight loss and health. For many patients, health insurance coverage can substantially reduce the costs of gastric sleeve. At New Jersey Bariatric Center® our patient navigation team offers extensive support in verifying insurance benefits before initial consultations and work to optimize coverage while minimizing out-of-pocket expenses. We accept many insurance plans except Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare. For patients facing coverage gaps or high deductibles, financing options are available through CareCredit.

On average in New Jersey, the gastric sleeve (VSG) costs range between $8,500 and $18,500 for self-pay patients, which usually includes hospital fees, anesthesia, pre-operative testing, and a full year of post-operative visits, nutrition counseling, exercise classes and support group sessions.

To find out more about gastric sleeve surgery costs, get your insurance verified upfront or discuss financing solutions at New Jersey Bariatric Center® click here.

Gastric Sleeve, a Bariatric Surgery

At New Jersey Bariatric Center® gastric sleeve surgery is performed laparoscopically and robotically. First, small incisions are made in the abdominal wall and the procedure is performed using a video camera (laparoscope). The surgeon then removes 75-80% of the stomach, reducing the remaining part to a capacity of 3 – 4 ounces, resulting in patients feeling fuller, faster with small portions of food. The procedure lasts approximately 1-2 hours and patients generally stay in the hospital for 1 day.

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Recovery & Follow Up

Recovery time after gastric sleeve surgery is important. Due to the minimally invasive nature of laparoscopic and robotic gastric sleeve, patients can expect to stay in the hospital for at least one day after surgery.

When planning for the period after a sleeve gastrectomy you will have the support of our dedicated team of medical professionals who will work with you on nutrition, exercise, and psychological needs both before surgery and for the long-term.

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Gastric Sleeve Patient Stories

Suzanne Lost 125 lbs with Gastric Sleeve*

Brian Lost 105 lbs with Gastric Sleeve*

Timika Lost 101 lbs with Gastric Sleeve*

Gastric Sleeve FAQs

Do I qualify for gastric sleeve surgery?

To qualify for gastric sleeve surgery you must have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater or a BMI of 35 or greater with one or multiple obesity-related health problems such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and high blood pressure. Once you qualify, one of our fellowship-trained surgeons can help you determine if this procedure is right for you.

Is gastric sleeve surgery safe?

While all surgical procedures have risks, gastric sleeve surgery has been found to be one of the safest surgeries when compared to other surgeries. At the New Jersey Bariatric Center®, our gastric sleeve surgeries are done laparoscopically with small incisions to subsequently reduce the risk of complications. In general, weight loss surgery has complication and mortality rates (4% and 0.1%, respectively) comparable to some of the safest and most commonly performed surgeries in the U.S. including gallbladder surgery, appendectomy and knee replacement.

Source: Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. (2018, October). Retrieved September, 2020 from http://asmbs.org/resources/metabolic-and-bariatric-surgery

How does gastric sleeve surgery affect type 2 diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea?

Bariatric surgery, and significant weight loss in general, reduces or resolves many obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea. With gastric sleeve surgery 77% of patients with type 2 diabetes, 62% of patients with hypertension and 84% of patients with sleep apnea have resolution. Decreasing excess body weight not only improves obesity-related conditions but also physical, mental and social well being.

Is gastric sleeve surgery reversible?

Gastric sleeve surgery removes more than 75-80% of the stomach, reshaping the remainder of it into a sleeve similar to the size and shape of a banana. Due to the characteristics of the procedure, it is unable to be reversed.

Patient Journey

Interested in gastric sleeve surgery? Visit our patient journey page to learn about the next steps.

Patient Journey

Sources:
1. Gastric sleeve surgery. (n.d.). In Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/bariatric/treatments/gastric-sleeve
2. Metabolic and bariatric surgery. (2018, October). In American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://asmbs.org/resources/metabolic-and-bariatric-surgery