Manipal hospital starts key-hole bariatric surgery to control obesity

Bariatric surgery to control obesity has been started at Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.

Bariatric Surgery Services centre at the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology will be instrumental in providing information regarding the pre-operative scenario and offers the modern surgical facilities.

The department will also provide advice regarding the post operative cases of bariatric surgery by a team of experts including nurses, physicians, psychotherapists and physiologists.

The bariatric surgeries will be performed by using laparoscopic techniques, which would ensure that the patient is discharged from the hospital, early, according to the Medical Director of Manipal Hospital, Dr. H Sudarshan Ballal.

Laparoscopic technique, or key-hole bariatric surgery which makes only small incision to do the surgery in contrast to cutting open the abdominal wall in conventional surgery, will become more common procedure throughout the country.

Laparoscopic procedure also consumes less time. The chances of blood loss is also very less and leaves no or little scar in the abdomen.

He revealed that in India around 5% to 10% people are suffering from this problem. Obesity is a major cause of many problems like type-2 diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, hypertension and anxiety.
Obesity is a major problem in today’s world.

Bariatric surgery is beneficial in fat reduction but, it is important that the people interested in getting it done, should be informed of the side effects. Also, there is a requirement of physiological and mental treatment, along with a proper follow up.

Single hole laparoscopic (key-hole) bariatric surgery to obesity is arriving in Indian hospitals.

The single port technique is the latest advancement in minimal access key-hole surgery.

Normally, almost all the key-hole surgeries involve multiple -at least three- small incisions in the body to insert various instruments such as telescope etc required for the surgery.

The single port procedure involves making just one single cut on the body. This cut is usually made around the umbilical cord or in the naval area so that the surgical scar won’t be visible.

Through this single incision, multiple instruments used for the surgery and the telescope are inserted.

Because it leaves only a single scar that too in the nave after the entire procedure, single port access technique provides excellent cosmetic results.

Patient satisfaction is stated to be high with this technique, which is currently being evaluated in several centers around the world to assess safety, feasibility and efficacy.

“Single port laparoscopic surgery is gaining great interest throughout the world as the technique of the future, and we see it becoming the preferred norm for all kinds of surgeries going forward,” stated Dr. Pradeep Chowbey, Director-Minimal Access Surgery, Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, Max Healthcare, New Delhi.

Earlier single ports needed specially devised instruments for use during surgery, thereby increasing the cost of procedure by 35% to 40%.

However, the new reusable devices make sure that surgeries happen at almost half the price compared to earlier procedures wherein specially devised instruments were used, he added.