Single Incision: The future for gastric sleeve surgery

Technology is advancing exponentially and single port surgery is here to change everything. Learn about its procedure and advantages in this new content for you.

The single port technique has entered the bariatric field and it is a minimally invasive surgery which is quite useful when forgetting about large scars. It consists of laparoscopic surgery that bear uses one incision unlike the others that are supported by at least two other auxiliary ports.

The application of this method is in a growth phase so more and more new procedures are performed using the single port technique.

Single port surgery in 2022

The gastric sleeve has been recognized as a quite useful procedure at the bariatric level by several international congresses in which it has been highlighted how the technique can improve the lives of patients with severe or increased obesity. The gastric sleeve is credited with reducing the risk of associated diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and even sleep problems and depression.

In Europe, gastric sleeve is performed at 40% and is considered a brief procedure that outperforms bypass. The procedure involves stapling and suctioning at least 80% of the stomach, focusing on the lesser curvature. In the end, it ends up creating a kind of thin and long funnel in which people can reduce their appetite and eat less, so they lose weight.

Usually, the gastric sleeve is usually performed by laparoscopic surgery and up to 5 incisions are used. One or two main and the rest are supportive. The holes are up to 10 or 12mm, which is why it is still considered a minimally invasive technique that leaves few scars that disappear very quickly. The technique is considered not very aggressive and patients usually recover very quickly.

This is all very cool but now it’s improved.

Single port incisions have emerged as a much cleaner and easier to apply technique that allows the patient to receive medical care with less risk of post-operative complications. Single incision gastric sleeve surgery or SILS allows the intervention to be performed thanks to trocars and special material for the navel.

The single incision has a great aesthetic advantage and is what has placed it ahead of other techniques. Even so, beyond aesthetics, SILS gastric sleeve surgery prioritizes patient safety and bariatric effectiveness so that the surgery is a complete success thanks to the applied technique.

The procedure is exactly the same except with a single port incision. Everything is done through that hole and the other ports are left aside since the surgical material can be introduced through this port alone. The safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgeries are a priority, so innovations in this type of techniques will surely continue.

Who Qualifies?

The gastric sleeve is one of the surgeries that has attracted the most interested patients. Many people have tried to qualify for these types of procedures but have found it difficult or have had to change things within their lifestyle. The truth is that single port gastric sleeve surgery has a series of requirements to qualify which are quite specific.

The most important requirement is that the patient has a Body Mass Index that is 42 or greater than that number. If you do not comply with this, the procedure cannot be performed as it means that the patient still has the opportunity to lose weight through non-surgical ways.

In addition to this, the patient must have a psychological guarantee confirming that he is mentally healthy and has the necessary strength to go through the gastric sleeve process. A cardiological evaluation is also needed to confirm that the patient is not at risk of having a heart attack or dislodgement of clots during surgery.

Morbidly obese patients usually attend a consultation to find out if they are candidates for gastric sleeve surgery or not. It is very common to see how they must start to meet one-year goals and consult psychologists and cardiologists so that they can meet the required standards.

In the case of SILS gastric sleeve surgery, the requirements remain the same, so it is up to the surgeon to decide whether to perform the laparoscopic surgery using the traditional method or through a single-port incision. The only thing that is suggested is that the patient is not extremely overweight as this can make the technique difficult.

Single Incision: What are the advantages over the traditional sleeve?

Gastric sleeve is a fairly well-known procedure. Surely several acquaintances have had it done before, so you have the confidence that it is a safe procedure that gives excellent results. The single port incision technique presents several contrasts with the traditional sleeve and offers you new advantages:

Does not leave scars: Laparoscopic surgery seeks to reduce the amount of scarring that a person has. In the single incision technique, the scar disappears after 6 weeks depending on the healing capacity of each person. Likewise, after six months, surely the scar will have disappeared.

It is a much faster procedure: Since everything is almost mechanized, the surgery is done much faster than the traditional way. In 30 minutes for sure everything will be ready.

The trauma to the body is much less: The procedure is done quickly and there is little contact with unnecessary structures, which eliminates the risk of infections, unwanted trauma and forced recoveries.

Immediate recovery: Single port surgery allows recovery to be done much more quickly. This means that on the same day you will be able to walk a little and in two months you will be as good as new.

The gastric sleeve is one of the most amazing surgeries and it gives very good results. It is incredible to see the results in each of the patients and how their lives change completely. Don’t be afraid to give it a try and try the single incision technique. The results will be incredible!