IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve®

Depending on the type of gastric sleeve surgery requested, prices can vary from around $6,500 to $9,000 dollars. We suggest you look into testimonials online, talk to other patients, and don’t be misled by price. The savings by coming to OCC is around 50% of the cost in the US, so don’t risk it by looking for the lowest price weight loss surgery. Your health and wellbeing are very valuable.

Included in the cost of your gastric sleeve surgery:

• 1 night stay at our world-renowned hospital
• 1 night stay at a local 5-star hotel
• Luxury transportation to and from the San Diego International Airport
• Team of three board-certified surgeons, including two anesthesiologists
• All operating room costs and surgical materials
• All pre-op evaluations and follow-up care

These are different procedures and work differently. They both have their pros and cons and this question is the one you would definitely want to discuss with the surgeon doing the procedure. We prefer the least invasive procedure that can get you the best results. This is why we always recommend a sleeve surgery before the bypass. You can always move up to a bypass from a sleeve, but not the other way around.

In the fight against obesity and excess weight, the only proven method that outlasts common methods is bariatric surgery. Recent advances in the field have proven that weight loss surgery not only dramatically influences the excess weight a patient carries, it also balances out the metabolism of an individual, especially the insulin and blood sugar levels. This is why weight loss surgery is now called ‘Metabolic surgery’. How exactly surgery regulates insulin, blood sugar, diabetes, cholesterol, lipids, and sleep disorder (sleep apnea) is not completely understood but, it is a fact that it directly impacts, controls, and often, cures these life-threatening diseases. 

OCC’s complication rate is one of the lowest in the published literature. Add that to the benefits of the IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve®, and suddenly, the results are more promising than ever. 

Our process at OCC includes a gentle but short procedure that results in a quick recovery. The OCC difference includes specialized pencil-thin instruments, bladeless abdominal wall trocars, and localized abdominal wall blocking agents that diminish the cascade of mediators that cause pain and inflammation. We use half the amount of gas pressure, where others use 20mm/hg, we use 10 to 12mm/hg. This results in less of the dreaded “gas pressure pains” associated with laparoscopic surgery. Our operating time is a fraction of the typical time reported in the literature. We’re in no hurry, we have simply streamlined the process. Less time under anesthesia means quicker recovery times for your gastric sleeve surgery.

Yes, thankfully! This is what we have named “Sleeve Rescue”. OCC is considered one of the top facilities for gastric sleeve revision and tightening surgery (re-do surgery) and is frequently asked to treat patients that have regained weight or have heartburn symptoms after sleeve surgery. In fact, many of the popular cheaper centers are a constant flow of patients that have “sloppy sleeves” that fail over time.

Yes, sleeves will stretch over time and they will fail. This is why we created the “Double-Buttress” technique to oversew and reinforce the staple line providing a more durable double-sealed gastric sleeve.

Gastric sleeve, Lap-band or Gastric Plication procedures have the common purpose of a restrictive “pouch”, meaning the stomach´s limited food capacity. Under some situations the pouch can be stretched to the point where there is less restriction.

ALL ACTIONS COUNT, HERE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT:

• Do not combine solids with liquids. This increases the volume at the pouch. Drink liquids 5 min before a meal and resume drinking 45 min later.
• Avoid drinking carbonated drinks as sodas, mineral water, champagne, beer. Any “bubbles” will add air, therefore volume to the pouch.
• Do not force liquids. Sipping throughout the day is the best way to stay hydrated. After bariatric surgery, you´ll need to drink 1oz every 15 minutes and after a week you can slowly increase the amount you can drink. Once healed, ½ cup is what you´ll most probably can tolerate.
• Avoid forcing the feed. At the early stages before bariatric surgery most patients feel full with 2-3 tablespoons; the pouch will slowly adapt to its final size and about 7 months post-surgery, most patients will be able to eat about ½ cup of food. You should only eat what you can tolerate, stop eating once you feel satisfied, not full. If you feel discomfort, or have P-Bing you are eating too much.
• Do not use a straw. You´ll pull air in to your pouch. Same thing happens if you chew with your mouth opened (gum, or food).
• Avoid junk food. Some patients eat junk food and then food, doing so easily doubles the portions.

Unfortunately, the latest research has non-conclusive evidence. A gastric sleeve will reduce the size of the organ and also the part that predominantly produces the Ghrelin hormone that has also been referred to as “the hunger hormone”. When the procedure is performed, this hormone tends to decrease weeks after the procedure.

Medical studies have also seen this pattern in patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery as well as gastric plication (the stomach sparing variety of the gastric sleeve). In these cases, no stomach tissue is removed, but the same hormonal effect is observed

All patients are reminded of the importance of keeping hydrated before and after their bariatric surgery, but it’s important to advise how much and when to intake those liquids.

After bariatric surgery patients will have a very dry mouth. After all, they have been fasting for several hours. However, it doesn’t mean that they should drink a bottle in a minute. Instead, we give patients liquids in 2 forms: ice cubes and small (8 oz) water bottles.

The ice cubes are an excellent way to keep patients hydrated and to rationalize the amount of water intake. By giving a patient an ice cube, and just letting it melt in his or her mouth, it’s a very small but very important amount of water that the patient drinks. If a patient intakes too much liquids, too fast, their stomach is very susceptible to inflammation in the first few hours, leading to extreme discomfort and even vomiting.

After tolerating ice cubes, the next step is to start with small water bottles, and start educating the patient on the amount of water to be taken with each sip of the bottle. It’s a very critical step, due to the fact that most people have the tendency to intake water in enormous gulps, and think that a lot of water at a time is good. So by teaching about the correct amount of water intake, we can prevent for the most cases any problems with inflammation that can lead to a difficult recovery process, more medication and a prolonged hospital stay.

In a world where the mentality of “more is better”, patients after a gastric sleeve surgery in Mexico benefit from the idea of “Slower is faster” as in slower intake equals faster recovery.

Click here to see how OCC compares to other facilities in terms of surgical rates, infection rates, mortality rates, and more.