Intuitive Surgical
Search Contact
Patient Resources

Obesity

Obesity is a serious medical condition affecting more than a quarter of the U.S. population. It is the second leading cause of premature death in the U.S. This is because obesity is a progressive disease that often contributes to the development of other serious health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, elevated lipids, sleep apnea, arthritis and even cancer. Your risk for developing these conditions decreases as you lose weight.

Body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height, is one way to measure obesity. Obesity exists when a person has a BMI greater than 40, or a BMI of 35 with two or more co-morbidities — health problems that can lead to early death. Obesity can also be defined as being 100 or more pounds heavier than ideal weight. To calculate your BMI, use the following formula:

BMI = ((Your weight in pounds)/(Your height in inches)(Your height in inches)) x 703

Although obesity is influenced by many social and psychological factors, at its most basic level, obesity can be described as an energy imbalance: People gain weight when they take in more energy (measured in calories) than they consume through physical activity and metabolism. Excess energy is stored as fat.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Open Incisions

Treatment for obesity may focus on related health problems as much as on weight loss. Your physician can advise you on your various
treatment options.

One very effective and increasingly common surgical approach to weight loss is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, or gastric bypass. Gastric bypass reduces the size of the stomach using surgical stapling. This step restricts the volume of food that can be consumed at one time. The procedure also bypasses a section of the small intestine, reducing the body‘s ability to absorb calories.

da Vinci® Gastric Bypass: A Less Invasive Procedure

If your physician recommends surgery to control your weight, you may be a candidate for a new, less-invasive surgical procedure called the da Vinci Gastric Bypass. This procedure uses a state-of-the-art surgical system designed to help your surgeon see vital anatomical structures more clearly and to perform a more precise operation.

For most patients, the da Vinci Gastric Bypass can offer numerous potential benefits over open-abdominal surgery, including:

  • Shorter hospital stay
  • Less pain and scarring
  • Less risk of infection
  • Less blood loss
  • Faster recovery
  • Quicker return to normal activities.

As with any surgery, these benefits cannot be guaranteed, as surgery is both patient- and procedure-specific.

To learn more about da Vinci Gastric Bypass, talk with your doctor. To find a doctor who performs gastric bypass surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System, use our hospital and doctor locator to find a general surgeon.