What is Bariatric Surgery?

Obesity is a universally-known condition, wherein the excess body weight gained hampers the overall health of a person. Although the best way to fight obesity is diet control and exercise, weight loss surgery in India is emerging as one of the most favourable options as it reduces the weight significantly with a simple and safe surgery. Bariatric surgery plainly refers to ‘weight loss surgery’, wherein an assortment of procedures is performed on people, who are suffering from obesity. This type of surgery helps the patient in shedding off weight and minimizing his or her risk of medical problems related to obesity. There are two main ways this surgery helps in weight loss, which are as follows:

• Restriction: This means using surgery to physically restrict the volume of a stomach to store a lesser amount of food. Hence, the patient’s calorie intake is also restricted.
• Malabsorption: This means using surgery for shortening or bypassing a minor part of the small intestine to restrict the number of calories and amount of nutrients absorbed by the patient’s body.

Who needs Bariatric Surgery?

The surgery for weight loss is not an ideal solution for every obese person’s condition; there are a lot of critical factors this depends on. People matching below-mentioned factors are generally considered the ideal candidate for this life-changing surgery:

• Endurance: Should be healthy enough to tolerate the procedure of this type of surgery, but heavy enough to need the same.
• Comorbidity: Has a fatal disease process, diabetes, heart disease or obstructive sleep apnea, which can be bettered by losing weight.
• Has a BMI equal or greater to 40
• Shows no improvement in weight for at least last 2 years, despite desperately trying
• Has been obese for a prolonged period of time, at least three to five years
• Has no addiction to drugs or alcohol; or, even if has an addiction, no longer has it
• He or she is a non-smoker or has quit smoking
• He or she is an adult under the age of 65

Considering all these factors and much more, the surgeon at the end of the day decides whether the patient is a good applicant for weight loss surgery or not. Once approved for the surgery, the surgeon then helps the patient determine which type of surgery is the right one for him or her.

What is the cost of Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric Surgery can be easily availed in India at affordable costs. While Gastric Bypass Surgery costs start from USD 5500 Sleeve Gastrectomy costs starts from USD 5000.

What does the cost of Bariatric Surgery depend on?

The cost of Bariatric Surgery generally depends on the following factors:

• Geography: Bariatric Surgery is available in different cities and hospitals in India and its cost is significantly higher in urban areas. The more densely populated an area is, higher is its overhead and the demand of surgeons there.
• Length of hospital stays: In some cases, the patients are required to stay in the hospitals for longer durations after Bariatric Surgery. As the everyday hospital stay cost is a little expensive, depending on the intensive care provided by the doctor and caretakers, the total cost of the surgery depends on the hospital stay to some extent.

What are the inclusions and exclusions in a Bariatric Surgery?

The cost of Bariatric Surgery generally includes the fees of anaesthesia, hospital facilities, and surgeon's procedures and visits. Some packages may also offer pre-surgery laboratory and X-ray fees in the total cost. While at it, please also remember that some costs like post-surgery behaviour, diet counselling and essential vitamins and supplements, are usually not included in the package. The patient may incur additional costs for further body contouring surgeries later on.

What are the chances I will have to pay extra for Bariatric Surgery?

If you do not want to be shocked by any additional or hidden costs, later on, do not forget to inquire about the following aspects beforehand:

• All the inclusions and exclusions in the total cost of the treatment
• Application of insurance cover on all or part of the procedure
• Provision of any patient financing plans

Also Check: Bariatric Surgery Cost in Hyderabad