Dr Ryan Lussenden a surgeon at the Florida Medical Centre said he chose bariatric surgery as one of his specialities because there is an element of joyousness and celebration in it that is not present in other types of surgery.

Bariatric surgery is the surgical removal of parts of the stomach and intestines to induce weight loss.

There are several different types including gastric lap band surgery, gastric bypass, and gastric sleeve surgery.

Dr Lussenden was in Bermuda this week to talk to medical professionals at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital about bariatric surgery and also about another of his specialties, geriatric surgery and care.

Dr Lussenden has performed around 300 bariatric surgeries during his career. Some of his patients weigh as much as 500lbs before surgery and have a body mass index of 60. A healthy BMI is between 18 and 25.

“You can say congratulations and good job afterward as opposed to other types of surgery,” he said. “I have patients who were crippled with osteoarthritis due to the excessive weight of their bodies go on to run marathons.”

The success rate of bariatric surgery can be the loss of 50 percent of body weight right up to 70 percent, depending on the type of bariatric surgery and the commitment level of the patient.

“The ideal bariatric patient has a BMI greater than 40, or a BMI greater than 35 with co morbidity such as obstructive sleep apnoea or high cholesterol.

“Those patients are excellent candidates for bariatric surgery. By losing all the fat and the weight they can be much more productive and live happier lives.”

He said it is most beneficial to patients who are overweight and diabetic.

For these patients, it can lengthen their lifespan and improve the quality of their lives.

“Usually, your doctor will want you to try a six month trial of diet and exercise before trying bariatric surgery,” said Dr Lussenden.

“Unfortunately, with diet an exercise only 50 percent of patients are still following the programme a year later, and if they do follow it they lose an average of less than ten percent of their excess body weight, so it is not always effective. That is why bariatric surgery is really effective.”

The downside is that with certain types of bariatric surgery, such as lap band surgery, it is possible to cheat.

“You can cheat by drinking sugar shakes and you won’t lose weight,” he said. “Patients who have had a history of going to the gym, and working out, those patients will do well with the band.

“The best surgery we have is the gastric sleeve. Basically the stomach is an endocrine producing organ. It produces hormones that make you hungry and full and effects your insulin resistance.

“By removing the majority of that organ you are removing a large majority of these producing cells.

“People feel full faster. I see dramatic changes in these patients, but there are restrictions, because you can’t eat as much.”

For more information see: www.fmc-campus.com/en-US/ourServices/medicalServices/TheSurgicalWeightLossCenter/Pages/default.aspx