Gastric Leak

Do you love the sleeve?  My band about killed me.

 

Yes, I love my sleeve.  And yes the band did about kill me.  I wouldn't tell the person I hate the most to get on 

 

It's not 3x higher. The difference in complication rates are very small, and the same as comparable surgeries, such as gallbladder removal, aendectpmy, etc.

Don't toss out false statistics.

If you aren't squemish watch some surgeries on youtube, I believe the tool they use puts 3 rows of staples on each side of the cut plus many surgeons do an overstitch of the staples. You might ask your surgeon if he does that too. I know the leak rate is super low for VSG so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Easy for me to say I know! You will do just fine, even of you got a leak I think it is more just a matter of time waiting to start solid foods until it heals, I think most do on their own.

Thank You...I can already tell you are gonna be one of my biggest cheerleaders, and I cant tell you what that means to me.  Thank you so so so much!

Yes,  I did this!  I watched several vsg surgeries on YouTube. I also asked my surgeon directly about his specific leak rate,  which was zero. I asked how many vsg surgeries he had performed,  and asked about his specific technique, referring to sewing over the staples. 

National averages don't mean much with the VSG.....

As I mentioned to you before, the VSG is a non-standardized procedure.

Individual surgeons statistics are what you need to know.

I don't know what the current leak rate is..... it used to be 2-3%

What does that mean...... some surgeons for sure are at or below .5% and some could be at 5%

Individual surgeon stats are what is most important.

Going into it.... it is wise to know an individual surgeons stats/information on:

- Sleeve size and eventual capacity

- Average EWL%

- Average regain

- Leak rate

- Deaths

Not to scare you.... but than again, your asking.

A gastric leak is very serious. In most cases there is not a quick fix. The tissue along the staple line is pretty much mutilated and can't really be worked on.

The leak cases that I have followed were about 1.5-3 months long. The good news is that everyone of them ended up doing very well at the WL and maintenance. The reason is probably because they have way more vested in it.

Leak tests don't really mean much, in fact my surgeon quit doing them a long time ago because it can cause unnecessary bleeding.

frisco

Thank You.  I will definitely ask my surgeon!!!!

As others have said, ask your surgeon. My surgeon has done thousands of VSGs and never had a leak. 

Ask HOW they seal the pouch. My surgeon uses staples, sutures, and a fibrin glue (all of which I confirmed looking at the hospital bill). That fibrin glue was like $900. He also tests the pouch before he closes. I think a great surgeon and following his advice is the key to no leaks.

:)