Bariatric Surgery at UPMC

UPMC offers bariatric surgery for people suffering from obesity-related clinical conditions. Among them are hypercholesterolemia, or excess cholesterol in the blood, and arterial hypertension, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Bariatric surgery involves the stomach and digestive systems. It is minimally invasive and allows patients to eliminate excess adipose tissue quickly.

Book an Appointment

You can request a consultation and undergo bariatric surgery at:

• UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital.

What Is Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is a branch of surgery specializing in the treatment of obesity and its complications. This treatment uses laparoscopy, a minimally invasive technique used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Laparoscopy ensures a faster recovery than traditional surgery procedures and a reduction in both pain and any post-operative complications.

Bariatric surgery helps people lose weight quickly. As a result, it can minimize, and in some cases solve, some of the pathologies that obese people suffer from. Among them, there are hypertension, type 2 diabetes, respiratory problems and sleep apnea.

Bariatric Surgery

If you have already tried to lose weight, but without success, our team of doctors can help you by proposing different solutions. Among the types of intervention available are:

• Methods with restrictive action: This surgically reduces the stomach, reversibly, to induce a rapid decrease in appetite.
• Methods with restrictive and functional action: Stomach restriction may or may not be associated with intestinal bypass. Our procedures also provide a hormonal treatment that induces a sense of satiety.
• Methods with malabsorptive action: They serve to exclude the stomach and duodenum from the transit of food, through a bypass.

Specialist Bariatric Services at UPMC

In the Bariatric Surgery Department of UPMC Salvator Mundi you can undergo the most modern surgical procedures. Among them, there are:

• Adjustable gastric banding: An intervention that involves the application of an adjustable gastric banding around the stomach. It reduces its size and limits the amount of food the person can ingest.
• Partial vertical gastrectomy (sleeve gastrectomy): This is stomach restriction surgery that may be associated with gastric bypass surgery. In vertical gastrectomy, the size of the stomach is reduced by about 3/4 compared to the initial volume. Following the intervention, in addition to the size of the organ, the production of some of the hormones that control hunger also decreases.
• Gastric bypass: An intervention that consists of the selection of the parts of the digestive system through which food passes. It is recommended especially for those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux or severe obesity and related pathologies.
• Gastric bypass with single anastomosis or with unique anastomosis: Surgery that connects a small part of the stomach to the small intestine. In this way the ingested food follows a different path, without passing through the other parts of the stomach and through the duodenum.
• Corrective interventions (redo-surgery). They are carried out in the event that a previous intervention has not had the desired results or when there are complications, for example nutritional deficiencies.

Who Is a Candidate For Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a suitable solution for people suffering from a severe form of obesity. To determine whether a person is overweight or obese, the Body Mass Index (BMI or BMI) is used. This indicator is calculated by dividing the weight (in kg) by the square of the height (in meters). A BMI between 25 and 29.9 indicates overweight; if it is equal to or greater than 30 indicates obesity.

Bariatric surgery is considered for all those cases in which it is difficult or impossible to adopt other therapeutic approaches to reduce weight. People can undergo this type of surgery when they have:

• IMC ≥ than 40.
• BMI ≥ of 35 and other obesity-related diseases.
• BMI ≥ of 30 and type II diabetes mellitus.

Excess weight increases the risk of developing pathologies such as, for example, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers. It frequently causes physical disabilities and psychological problems. If you have been suffering from obesity for some time and have not yet found a definitive therapy, then surgery could be a solution. Our specialists will assess whether this is in fact the best approach for you and explain to you what procedures are available. We know that obesity should not only be tackled from a strictly medical point of view. It may also require the intervention of a dietician, an endocrinologist, a surgeon, or a psychologist or psychiatry. Its emotional impact on everyday life, in fact, can be important. For this reason, patients will be supported in your care journey by the different UPMC specialists, from the beginning of treatment to a follow-up program.