Pennsylvania Adolescent Surgery

Pennsylvania Adolescent Bariatric Surgery

Select obese adolescents between ages 16 and 18 may be eligible to have bariatric surgery from Tristate NYBG. While adolescents and teens were not always eligible in the past, we’re excited to be able to offer certain individuals the wonderful and life-changing opportunity to have a proven successful procedure such as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

Here, you’ll learn more about weight loss surgery for teens, why it’s such an important field right now, and how Tristate NYBG can help change and potentially save your life.

What is obesity?
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FAQs

New York Bariatric Group of Pennsylvania - Surgery for Adolescents

What is the Obesity Crisis for Youth & Teens?

It’s not only adults who are becoming obese in ever-increasing numbers these days. It’s also children and teens. The CDC Reports that obesity has quadrupled in three decades.

For adolescents aged 12 to 19, obesity levels have increased from 5% to nearly 21%. This is not something that kids “grow out of”. Obese adolescents are much more likely to remain obese throughout their adulthoods. They will face increased risks for a range of serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer.

For adolescents, the negative impact on obesity is felt in additional ways. This includes psychological and emotional strain during this period of their lives, in addition to reducing the overall quality of a young person’s life, and even reducing their life expectancies.

How can Bariatric Surgery be a Solution?

For obese adolescents who have tried to lose weight unsuccessfully through more traditional means, adolescent bariatric surgery may be a solution. Tristate NYBG is currently offering select patients aged 16 to 18 the opportunity to have SILS (Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery) sleeve gastrectomy.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a highly effective procedure, producing weight loss results on par with gastric bypass. One prominent study shows a weight loss of 61% of excess BMI in one year. At the same time, the gastric sleeve offers reduced risk of complication and side effects. That makes it one of the most popular choices amongst patients, and an innovative development in the field.

Tristate NYBG is offering this type of weight loss surgery for teens with St. Charles Hospital. The hospital has received accreditation as a Comprehensive Center with Adolescent Qualification from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP).

For adolescents who have bariatric surgery, it’s of paramount importance to provide ongoing education and support. Our comprehensive bariatric program also addresses a full range of psychosocial and nutritional factors, in addition to medical factors, to help guide patients towards a healthier lifestyle both immediately and well into the future. Even parents become involved in this program, as they provide a key support role and will be able to assist adopting lifestyle changes for their children.

By electing to have bariatric surgery as a teenager, as opposed to being forced to wait until adulthood, the positive physical, mental and emotional impacts can begin to be felt sooner. Long-term health risks are dramatically reduced, and adolescents will be able to go onto a healthier, happier life.

What Should I Expect During & After the Procedure?

During an SILS sleeve gastrectomy, only one single incision is made externally, through which your surgeon will insert all of the required tools. The sleeve gastrectomy procedure removes approximately 85 percent of your stomach. This is done along a vertical line, with stomach staples being utilized to seal the remaining thin tube of your stomach.

As opposed to gastric bypass, no changes to your GI track are required. This reduces surgical complexity, overall risk, and post-surgical side effects, such as vitamin deficiencies.

It is important to note however that the procedure does carry the typical associated risks of any procedure involving general anesthesia. Additionally, sleeve gastrectomy is a newer procedure, which means that there is not the decades worth of long-term data which is available for gastric bypass. Risks which are specific to sleeve gastrectomy include internal bleeding, abdominal wall abscesses, and leaking along the stomach staple line.

The procedure takes less than two hours to complete. Most patients spend one night in the hospital at which point further at-home care instructions will be provided by your surgeon.

After your procedure, we will also provide you with important nutritional guidelines. This will take you through a several phase dietary program as you adjust to your body’s changing requirements. After this, you will need to maintain the proper nutritional program and lifestyle changes on a permanent basis.

I Want to Take Action to Change my Life, What’s next?

Adolescents can get a fresh start on their lives and put an end to obesity with the help of Tristate NYBG. Let our highly skilled and experienced team help provide you with a healthier, happier future.

Call our office at 800.633.8446 today, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions or schedule an initial consultation to discuss your eligibility for adolescent bariatric surgery in Pennsylvania.

Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories

If you are ready to lose weight, you have many options at our Tristate Bariatric Group. We combine surgical expertise, patience, compassion, and the confidence to lead you through the journey to successful weight loss.