Surgical Weight Management at OhioHealth
Bariatric surgery can give you a head start toward a healthy weight.
Surgical weight management, also known as bariatric surgery, helps people who are significantly overweight lose pounds effectively and safely. It works by restricting the amount of food you can eat, and it often results in dramatic weight loss for people who haven’t been able to lose weight by other means. Our surgical weight management program is designed to provide the right procedure for each person, along with continued support to maintain weight loss.
Discover which procedure is right for you
Our expert surgeons offer a variety of specialized procedures to help you in your weight loss journey. We encourage you to work with our surgeons who will evaluate the available options and help you choose the best procedure for you and your goals.
Surgical Procedures
- Sleeve Gastrectomy: In this procedure, an outer section of the stomach is removed, leaving a smaller stomach that looks like a narrow sleeve. This reduces how much food the stomach can hold by 75-80%. Sleeve gastrectomy also affects hormones that control appetite.
- Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: The first part of this procedure involves making a pouch from the top part of the stomach, about the size of an egg. The new pouch is then connected to a portion of small intestine, so food bypasses the upper part of the small intestine. The surgery works by decreasing amount of food that can be eaten at one time and alters how food is absorbed.
- SADI-S: This is a new procedure available to patients where a sleeve gastrectomy is performed and a part of the upper small intestine gets divided and connected to a loop of the small intestine. Due to part of the small intestine being bypassed, there is malabsorption of macronutrients(calories) and micronutrients(minerals and vitamins), which causes weight loss.
- Revision Surgery: Patients who have already had weight loss surgery are sometimes candidates to modify the initial procedure or convert to a different procedure. This is called revision surgery and is considered when there is less than optimal weight loss, weight regain, or complications from the initial surgery. Each situation is unique and if you are a candidate for this procedure, you’ll work with your surgeon to evaluate your options.
- Eligibility Requirements: In order to be eligible for a weight loss procedure, you must meet the following requirements:
- Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40, or BMI greater than 35 with serious comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea or cardiovascular disease.
- Age 18 or older.
- You must be an acceptable medical risk (as defined by the medical evaluation).
- Previous unsuccessful nonsurgical weight-loss attempts.
- Watch the OhioHealth Surgical Weight Management video.
- Review of the handbook you’ll receive after watching the online video.
Our Commitment to Your Success
At OhioHealth, we use a multidisciplinary approach that provides expert, compassionate care — from your first consultation to ongoing weight management support after your surgery. Your surgical program will include:
- Experienced bariatric surgeons, Thomas Sonnanstine, MD, Medical Director, Nirav Rana, MD, and Thomas C. Robertson, MD who use advanced laparoscopic, minimally-invasive surgery techniques
- Superior care at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, one of the nation’s best hospitals
- Therapy with exercise physiologists and dietitians for long-term weight management
- Access to our state-of-the-art exercise facility and pool at the McConnell Heart Health Center
- A coordinator who will work with you on insurance and financial needs
What to Expect
When you choose our Surgical Weight Management program, you can trust that our expert support staff will be here to guide you through every step of the process. To begin, our insurance coordinator reviews how your specific health insurance benefits will apply with the OhioHealth Surgical Weight Management program.
To help determine if you’ll do well with surgical weight management, you’ll have a consultation with a psychologist who specializes in evaluating bariatric surgery patients. You’ll also talk with a specially trained dietitian about your current diet and eating habits. This specialist will help assess your readiness to make the significant dietary changes necessary with surgical weight management. Dietary counseling includes advice about losing weight before your surgery and your nutrition plan for healthy weight loss afterward.
You’ll also have a comprehensive medical evaluation to make sure bariatric surgery is appropriate and safe for you. This exam includes a review of your health history along with other tests, such as a complete blood count, lipid profile, thyroid studies, a chest X-ray and EKG.
When your pre-operative evaluations and consultations are complete and your health insurance has been approved, you'll meet with your bariatric surgeon, Thomas Sonnanstine, MD or Nirav Rana, MD, or Thomas C. Robertson, MD, and nurse. During this pre-surgery consultation, your surgeon will explain your procedure in detail and give you specific instructions about how to prepare for the surgery. You’ll have time to get answers to all your remaining questions.
Your Healthier Future
Research suggests that losing weight with bariatric surgery can reduce the risks for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, and may even lower death rates for people with severe obesity. Choosing this surgery is an important decision, and you’ll have help evaluating your situation. Our free Surgical Weight Management Seminar can get you started.
Get started with a seminar
Your first step toward weight loss with OhioHealth is watch an online video. This video is lead by our experienced weight management surgeons who will explain the details of the program and answer questions you may have.