August, Diabetes Month: bariatric surgery as an option to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus

• Close to 90% of patients who undergo surgery achieve long-term resolution of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Santo Domingo: Metabolic surgery is the most effective and long-lasting treatment for obesity and diabetes. The procedure helps patients lose weight and control comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure, among others.

Compared with drug treatments, bariatric surgery is more effective, making it the most common therapy for patients with obesity, the main risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is why it is described as a definitive treatment for diabetes.

Bariatric, laparoscopic and robotic surgeon Dr. Héctor Sánchez Navarro, director of the Meta Íntegra Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (HOMS), explains that metabolic surgery is the most complete treatment option, with more and better long-lasting results in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with obesity.

Procedure 

Dr. Sánchez Navarro describes how, during surgery, a small stomach of about 45 to 65 millilitres is created and connected to the distal intestine. “This means that, with a smaller intake capacity, food does not come into contact with the whole intestine, so fewer poor-quality calories are absorbed, improving insulin sensitivity, with benefits that help regenerate the cells that produce insulin.”

Benefits 

The director of the country’s only bariatric and metabolic institute internationally accredited as a Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation says patients have been shown to gain multiple benefits after successful bariatric and metabolic surgery.

These include lower blood glucose and blood pressure, a reduced workload for the heart and lower cholesterol levels, and improved sleep apnoea. The immune system is also strengthened, the risk of heart disease, cancer and kidney disease falls, and overall quality of life improves. 

“Weight loss after bariatric surgery directly improves the patient’s physical condition and social interaction. Depression and anxiety are also significantly reduced.”

Effectiveness 

Close to 90% of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are overweight or obese. Bariatric surgery brings about long-term resolution in more than half of people with obesity and diabetes who undergo surgery.

In cases where the disease is not completely cured, the need for oral antidiabetic medicines or insulin decreases.

The robotic surgery expert, who is the only Dominican bariatric surgeon accredited as a Surgeon of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation, highlights that the HOMS Robotic Surgery Center continues to introduce new procedures to treat obesity and diabetes, performing operations with the most modern equipment in the country, the Da Vinci Xi robot.

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About HOMS

Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (HOMS) provides care focused on the quality and safety of patients and staff, and remains at the cutting edge with specialised medical centres equipped with the latest technology.

About Meta Integra

It is the HOMS Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, specialising in the definitive treatment of obesity and its associated diseases through comprehensive physical and psychological care that meets the highest global standards of excellence.

Bariatric Surgery is the Definitive Treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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