Minimally invasive procedures limit the size of any incisions, which lessens healing time. Non-invasive procedures don’t require incisions or skin-puncturing, or the removal of tissue. However, both categories are still surgery, which means there can be soreness, swelling and a needed recovery period. But which type of weight loss surgery is the least invasive?
There are quite a few misconceptions about the risks and complications associated with weight-loss surgery. Some of them are outdated; others are simply incorrect. Here are a few of the most common myths, and some facts to set things straight:
| Myth | Fact |
| People who have bariatric surgery could lose the weight if they just had more discipline. | The National Institutes of Health Experts Panel “recognizes that ‘long-term’ weight-loss, or in other words, the ability to maintain weight-loss, is nearly impossible for those affected by severe obesity by any means other than metabolic and bariatric surgery.” |
| Most people who have surgery regain their weight. | About half gain a small amount of their weight back (5 percent or so) two or more years after surgery. But research has shown that most bariatric surgery patients maintain a weight loss equal to or greater than 50 percent of their excess body weight. |
| Insurance won’t cover bariatric surgery. | Insurance coverage does vary. But many people don’t realize that Medicaid and Medicare do often cover weight-loss surgery, especially when it’s considered medically necessary. |
| Bariatric surgery is really dangerous. | For obese patients, the risk of death within 30 days of a bariatric surgery procedure is less than that of gallbladder surgery or hip replacement surgery. And studies have shown that severely obese patients who have bariatric surgery have a lower risk of death from any cause than severely obese patients who do not. |
Bariatric procedures have become much more common in the past decade. In 2017, there was an estimated total of 228,000 gastric surgeries performed in the United States, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
Among the procedures themselves, the rates of serious complications within 30 days vary by only degrees. In 2012, studies by Stanford University, Cleveland Clinic Florida and the Navel Medical Center in San Diego analyzed safety data from hundreds of thousands of procedures performed over a three-year period. The serious complication rates were:
Another study at the Obesity Center Amsterdam worked to develop a risk model predicting which patients might have complications. In following 1,709 patients between 2007 and 2015, the researchers found that about 20 percent of all bariatric surgery patients developed either a short-term or a long-term issue (the large majority, almost 73 percent, were short-term). Patients were divided into groups with certain risk factors. Predictors for developing complications were such things as high body mass index, high blood pressure, diabetes, age, gender, use of anticoagulants, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or the need for revision surgery. This is one reason why it’s important to make sure your surgeon and doctors have an up-to-date medical history for you.
Did we answer your questions about non-invasive weight loss procedures? Are you interested in bariatric surgery but aren’t sure which is the right type for you? Ask the Soma Weight Loss team. You can call us toll-free at 855-766-2411 (855-SOMA-411) or contact us here.
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