Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Everything you need to know about gastric sleeve weight loss surgery, from experts in bariatrics
Why choose us for your procedure?
Too many patients are taking unnecessary risks with their health by travelling abroad to have their procedure with unregulated providers, often in Turkey – with no aftercare and no protection if things go wrong. We’re different.
Patients who have their gastric sleeve procedure with us at our clinic in India, get the same standard of care and protection as patients who have their procedure in the UK, for a third of the price. And when you come home you can relax and recover with comprehensive aftercare from our UK-based team.
- NHS Surgeon
- Fully Insured
- Comprehensive Package
- UK Based Aftercare
- Payment Options
An Important Message from Our Medical Director
Gastric Sleeve Surgery
The gastric sleeve (laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy) is the world’s fastest growing weight loss procedure. It has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years and now accounts for more procedures in the NHS than the gastric band or gastric bypass.
- It is also known as sleeve gastrectomy or vertical sleeve gastrectomy.
- The procedure is laparoscopically, which means through small incisions in your abdomen, normally between 4-5 incisions.
- It involves removing about 80% of your stomach, leaving a banana-shaped pouch that can hold only a small amount of food.
- It can help you lose up to 60% of your excess weight within 12 to 18 months.
- It can improve or resolve conditions related to obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and joint pain.
- Gastric sleeve surgery is undertaken whilst the patient is under general anaesthetic, and will generally last between 45 and 60 minutes.
- Usually 4, sometimes 5, small horizontal incisions will be made in the stomach through which the instruments are passed. These incisions will leave small scars that are usually about 5mm long.
- Your surgeon will remove about 80% of the stomach, leaving a banana-shaped pouch that can hold only a small amount of food.
- Your surgeon will then staple the cut edges of the pouch and closes the incisions to complete the proecedure.
- The sleeve helps you lose weight in two ways. It reduces the capacity of your stomach and it also changes the balance of hormones and proteins in the stomach.The change in gut hormones, including changes to GLP1, change and suppress appetite. For this reason, we expect sleeve patients to lose weight quickly.
- The benefits of gastric sleeve surgery are significant and can include improvement or remission of Type 2 Diabetes, reduced blood pressure, improved sleep, less joint pain, improved mental wellbeing.
Eligibility
- There are many factors to consider for eligibility but we generally offer the gastric sleeve procedure to those with a minimum body mass index (BMI) of 35.
Risks
As with any surgery, there are operative and long-term complications and risks associated with gastric sleeve obesity surgery but in experienced hands, the procedure is very safe and the risks associated with the surgery are relatively small.
The operation itself is technically very simple as it does not involve any cutting or joining of the bowel, unlike some other weight loss procedures such as the gastric bypass, and this is reflected in its low rate of early complications of 3 – 5% (3:100 to 5:100) and in the low mortality rate of 0.1 – 0.5% (1 in 1000 to 5 in 1000).
Gastric sleeve risks include:- Haemmorrhage (bleeding)
- Leaks from staple lines leading to infection
- Adverse reactions to anaesthesia and/or medication
- Blood clots (Deep vein thrombosis in the legs / Pulmonary embolus on the lungs)
- Longer term, potential nutritional deficiency
- Marginal ulcer
- Narrowing of the stomach
Prior to your departure, you will need to undergo pre-op preparation to ensure you are ready for surgery when you arrive, this will include:
- Our multidisciplinary team will evaluate you to ensure you are ready. This will include your bariatric surgeon, a dietitian, and if required a psychologist and other relevant specialists.
- You will be asked to follow a pre-operative diet for 2 to 4 weeks before the surgery, which may include liquid meals, protein shakes, and low-calorie foods
- You will be required to stop smoking and drinking alcohol at least 2 weeks before the surgery
- It is important you inform us about any medications or supplements you are taking and follow the instructions you are given on when to stop or adjust them
- You will stay in the hospital under observation for 1-2 nights before returning to your hotel. You should start to feel much more comfortable around 2 weeks after surgery, but it typically takes around 6-8 weeks for your stomach to heal completely.
- You will need to follow a post-operative diet for 6 to 8 weeks after the surgery, which gradually progresses from clear liquids to pureed foods to soft foods to regular foods.
- As with all weight loss surgery though, the key to long term success is to embed the right diet and eating habits in the years immediately after surgery in order that you can sustain those behaviours long term, when we know the immediate benefits of the procedures will start to diminish.
- The importance of great aftercare is often underestimated when it comes to gastric sleeve. Most patients enjoy excellent weight loss in the first year or two but some weight regain is quite common after a few years. This can be reduced by adopting the correct dietary and exercise habits in the first couple of years after surgery.
- As a Weight Loss Abroad patient you will benefit from 2 years aftercare from our UK based team when you return home.
Day 1: Arrival
Upon arriving in Delhi you will be welcomed by our team and transferred to your hotel. Here you will be checked in and made comfortable. It will be important to follow your surgery preparation information, for example going nil by mouth. This is to prepare your stomach for surgery.
Day 2-3: Surgery Day
You will travel to the clinic and be taken through the procedure with your surgeon. They will carry out the necessary assessment tasks and prepare you for surgery. The procedure will take place and you will remain in the hospital overnight.
Day 4-5: Recovery
After 1-2 nights under observation in hospital you will be discharged. Prior to your discharge, your surgeon will come and assess your recovery and take you through the after care tips and dietary recommendations. You will then be transferred back to your hotel to relax and recover.
Day 5-7: Fit to Fly
Your surgeon will monitor your recovery, and once they are happy for you to return home you will be declared fit to fly.
Day 8+: Back Home
Aftercare is a critical element of successful bariatric surgery, our team will be with you every step of the way to support you. Once home you will have an initial check in call with our patient care team and your aftercare will begin. After 7 days you will have a surgical review with your consultant.
Gastric Sleeve
Essential Package- VIP Airport Transfer
- Pre-Op Review & Tests
- Gastric Sleeve Procedure
- Hiatal Hernia Repair if Required
- Post-Op Surgical Review
- 2 Years Aftercare Support
Gastric Sleeve
Premium Package- VIP Airport Transfer
- Pre-Op Review & Tests
- Gastric Sleeve Procedure
- Hiatal Hernia Repair if Required
- Additional Night Hospital Stay
- Post-Op Surgical Review
- 3 Years Aftercare Support
- In Person Aftercare Clinic
- Unlimited Nurse Support During Aftercare
Gastric Sleeve
Superior Package- VIP Airport Transfer
- Pre-Op Review & Tests
- Gastric Sleeve Procedure
- Hiatal Hernia Repair if Required
- Additional Night Hospital Stay
- Post-Op Surgical Review
- 5 Years Aftercare Support
- In Person Aftercare Clinic
- Unlimited Nurse Support During Aftercare
- Annual Dietician Review During Aftercare
- Aftercare Kit (inc Wifi Scales)
Cost Comparison
Unregulated medical tourism operators put safety patients at risk, and put pressure on the NHS when they return home with avoidable complications – we are different. If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is.
| Unregulated Providers (Turkey) |  | Typical UK Provider | |
| Average Price | £3,750 | £4,990 | £12,000 |
| NHS Surgeon | |||
| High Quality Medical Instruments | |||
| Fully Insured | |||
| Specialist Bariatric Aftercare |
Medical Director
Professor Rishi Singhal is Medical Director at Weight Loss Abroad part of the Better Health Group, is also a Consultant Surgeon in the West Midlands, operating out of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham.
He performs various laparoscopic and open general upper GI and bariatric surgical procedures including gastric banding, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve and anti-reflux surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our surgeons fed back to us that they were seeing an increasing number of patients return from overseas, usually Turkey, with very high complication rates after their weight loss surgery. We therefore decided to work together to develop an overseas weight loss surgery service that of the same standard as that available to patients in the UK, including surgery being done overseas by NHS surgeons.
Simple, the quality of the people and the hospital. We have our own team at the hospital and the entire service in country is managed by Professor Singhal.Quite simply, the standards are the equivalent of those patients experience in the UK. The facilities, the equipment and the surgical team meet UK standards in terms of quality of care and outcomes. The same does not apply for patients who visit other countries where the regulatory environment is not so robust.
That’s matter of choice for you. We keep everyone in for one night and then you are able to go home. Some people decide to stay a second or even third night in hospital though, but its not necessary.
We ask that you stay in country for 7 days after surgery before flying home. We like to review you before you go home, just as we would if you had surgery in the UK.
No need to bring any food, but we will check any special dietary requirements.
Your companion will be able to accompany you to the clinic, but will not be able to stay once you are transferred to theatre. They will be able to visit whilst you are in recovery, but will not be permitted to stay overnight.
State of Art Clinic
VIP Transfers
4* Accomodation
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*Reviews are from patients treated within the Better Health Group