Jörg Zehetner from the IFSO Congress 2018 in Dubai, UAE
(Overweight Surgery World Congress)
What is bariatric surgery?
How we tackle obesity with surgical means
Batriatic surgery is the medical term for obesity surgery. Patients with obesity should first try to control and reduce their weight through conservative therapies such as dieting and increased exercise.
In many cases, this does not succeed or succeeds only insufficiently. In other cases, the well-known “jojo effect” causes further weight gain until diseases such as high blood pressure, increased blood fat levels, diabetes, sleep apnoea, reflux or joint pain are added.
What we do at the Centre for Bariatric Surgery.
At the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (zfbc), interested patients are provided with information, treated conservatively or prepared for bariatric surgery. Various clarifications must be carried out before a possible operation. There are national and international guidelines for this, and at the zfbc these are met, including the prescribed follow-up checks in the years after the operation.
Thanks to the interdisciplinary cooperation of internists, surgeons, nutritionists and psychologists as well as cardiologists, pulmonologists and endocrinologists, the patient is well cared for all around at the zfbc, even in the period long after the operation.
Extensive bariatric experience
At the IFSO Congress 2018 in Dubai, it was shown that it is not so much the type of surgery that is decisive for successful weight loss after surgery, but rather the experience of the centre, the number of procedures performed, the experience with corrective surgery for weight gain and the all-round care provided by a centre like the zfbc.
The zfbc is a partner of the swiss1chirurgie clinic of Bern Visceral Surgery Steffen AG, and the surgeons are always available in case of emergencies or problems, either via the zfbc, the swiss1chirurgie clinic or via the emergency at the Beau-Site Clinic in Bern.
Bariatric surgery options
The following bariatric surgery options are offered: the tube stomach, the gastric bypass, the gastric band, the gastric balloon and, as a new option in addition to the above-mentioned interventions, the endoscopic narrowing of the anastomosis with the Apollo OverStitch suture device. Patients who have been surgically treated at other centres and are not satisfied with their weight can also contact swiss1chirurgie for a second opinion. Often, a relatively minor operation can correct the unsatisfactory weight trend.
Obesity prevention
Modern societies have a constantly available, large supply of food, too much fats, carbohydrates and a great tendency to eat fast food almost at any time of the day increase the risk of obesity. This is compounded by a lack of exercise, which often exacerbates the problem and can lead to weight gain that is difficult to control.
Preventive measures in the fight against obesity include a conscious, balanced diet based on actual energy expenditure and an increased amount of regular exercise. In addition, there is professional nutritional counselling and, if necessary, a targeted change in dietary and exercise habits.
In these processes of prevention, the zfbc and the swiss1surgery clinic support with profound personal advice. In cases where such measures are not helpful, bariatric surgery can also be useful and purposeful in restoring the quality of life of the affected people.
More information on this topic and other related medical issues can also be found at www.drzehetner.ch.