Did you have leakage after the sleeve?

i went to another WLS seminar last night and people started asking the doc questions about chances of having a leak after surgery.  He didn't spend much time on it so I went home and started looking into it more.  Looks like 3% to 5% chance of a leak after the sleeve which doesn't make me breathe relief.  That's 3 or 5 people out of 100.  Anyway I started looking into the treatment if you do have a leak and it got me pretty worried.  Being fed through tubes and stuff.  Stent put into the stomach.  Drain bag inserted.  Can anyone talk to this stuff as I was a little freaked out by it.

When you meet 1 on 1 with the surgeon I would ask him about his stats. If his numbers are better than 3-5% you could quickly ease your concern. Good luck with everything!

(I did not have a leak).

Many surgeons check you for a leak right after surgery. They put air in your stomach and look for leaks I think is how they do it. On top of that they make you do a barium swallow test the next day. They are highly trained and I don't think they are that common. I would say talk to them about it one on one like was suggested.

My surgeon and his group have a 0% of leaks.  They don't even do the post surgery test any more.  Check with you surgeon. 

I did not have a leak but a co-worker with the same surgeon did have a small leak.  No real problem and it healed on its own.  It did result in 1 extra day in the hospital.  So even if 3-5 people out of 100 have a leak, it does not necessarily mean tubes, stents and drain bags.

There is a risk with any surgery but for me, the risks associated with not having the surgery were higher than the risks of having the surgery.  High blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea...diabetes resolved before leaving the hospital, HBP resolved within 5 months and sleep apnea greatly reduced and hopefully be resolved within the next 2-5 months.

My surgeon's leak rate is less than 1%.  If they find you have a leak they are going to take you right back into surgery and fix it.  I've never heard of anyone having to have a stent put in the stomach, be fed through tubes, etc.  

Ask your surgeon about their leak rate, when they test for it and what they do if they find out.  It should ease your mind.  

Hi, try to rest easy.

I'm not sure where you are getting your statistics, but using a 2011 study published by the American College of Surgeons on LSG (Laprascopic Sleeve Gastrectomy aka VSG) comparing the procedure to the band and RNY the leak rate is far lower. In this study 109 hospitals submitted records for over 28,000 patients. The leak rate for the sleeve was .74% compared to .78% for LapRNY and >1% for open RNY . That means for every 270 people 2 people statistically nationwide will have a leak.

If you would like to read the study for yourself, go here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339264/

Yes, we know of people who have had leaks here on OH. But you know what? They all still come out the other side and have been very pleased that they got the surgery.

It's normal to be worried and it's great that you are considering all sides of WLS. Do as much research as you can. That's what I did. By the time I was being walked into the surgery suite I was calm and peaceful with my decision. I even winked at the doc and told him to make me a good one!

leaks are a serious complication but pretty rare. ask your surgeon about his stats and what he does about it.  leaks can be caused by eating inappropriate things too soon after surgery so resolve to follow doctor's plan.  my hubby, brother and i are all sleeved. several friends too.   no leaks.  diane

My surgeon has a less than 1% leak rate and provided 3 leak tests prior to me leaving the hospital. 

#1 was during surgery (which seems to be pretty standard.)

#2 was the day after surgery where I consumed a nasty blue beverage and we waited to see if any blue was visible in my drain.

#3 was a barium swallow test. 

No issues and things are still looking good..

I had no issues whatsoever, but my doc also had a really restrictive post op diet (clear liquids, full liquids, purees, and soft for 2 weeks EACH) which helped my body to heal really well without unnecessary strain on the incision. Going 8 weeks without "real" food was tough, but I understood why it was important and so I was more than happy to do it.

Laurie