Surgery has proven to be an effective treatment for patients who are morbidly or severely obese for the last 4 decades. It is in fact backed up by a recent study of more than 22,000 patients that patients could expect to lose more than 60%* of their excess weight after bariatric surgery. Another study showed that following surgery, up to 80%* of patients experienced complete resolution or improvement of their co-morbid conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnoea.
In the last 10 years, with the "keyhole" or minimally invasive surgery, bariatric surgery has become much less invasive than the conventional surgery. It usually involves a modification of the digestive tract with the aim of reducing the size of gastric reservoir with or without reducing the ability of the gut to absorb food.
There are 4 procedures available at NUH:
Prior to surgery, each patient will be assessed by our multidisciplinary team. Here, it is also emphasised that lifestyle changes such as healthy eating and regular exercise are essential to sustain weight loss after surgery.