Differences in the procedure.
Both procedures can be performed laparoscopically, which allows recovery and aggressiveness to be lower than with open surgery. The latter is only performed in a few occasions, complicated interventions in which an organ is poorly placed and may pose a risk to the patient.
The main difference between one technique and the other is the type of procedure. The gastric sleeve is a restrictive procedure only, that is to say, it reduces the capacity of the stomach to limit the amount of food that can be ingested. However, the gastric bypass, besides being a restrictive procedure, is malabsorptive, that is, it reduces the amount of nutrients that can be absorbed by the stomach by eliminating part of the digestion process.
Another major difference between these techniques is the size of the stomach: with the gastric sleeve operation, between 60 and 80% of the initial size of the stomach is eliminated, leaving it in the shape of a tube or sleeve; with the gastric bypass, a small portion of the stomach is left in the shape of a pouch with a capacity of between 20 and 50 cc.
The last difference in the procedure is the digestive transit. With the gastric sleeve this does not undergo any change, however, with the gastric bypass the small pouch is connected directly to the small intestine leaving part of the digestive process without function. Only 60% of the small intestine is used.
Differences in the postoperative period.
Both the gastric sleeve and the bypass are two very safe surgeries for the patient, although the complexity of one or the other inevitably influences the recovery time. Patients who have undergone gastric sleeve surgery can generally leave the hospital within 24-48 hours. However, those who have undergone a gastric bypass will remain hospitalized a little longer, at least 2 or 3 days.
Afterwards, both of them will start with a diet based on defatted liquids and will progressively include thicker foods in their intake until all foods are incorporated. In general, this process can last about 4 weeks, although in patients with bypass it can be extended for another week.
