With the gastric sleeve, part of the stomach is removed, leaving a small sleeve or banana-shaped stomach tube that reduces the overall stomach capacity and limits food intake. Also, because the now-smaller stomach produces less of a certain hunger hormone, physical hunger is reduced.
In patients with a very high BMI or those with a history of high surgical risk, the gastric sleeve is sometimes done as the first stage of a two-surgery treatment plan, with a malabsorptive procedure performed a year or more later.
Journey Clinic surgeons can perform a laparoscopic sleeve surgery using minimally-invasive techniques. For patients, this means less blood loss, smaller scars, and a shorter recovery time.
The gastric sleeve surgery is performed within Norman Regional Health System, which is accredited by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Centers with this accreditation follow a rigorous review process to prove their resources and standards of practice.