Gastric sleeve weight loss surgery offered at Cullman Regional

Cullman Regional is now offering the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. This operation, also known as the gastric sleeve procedure, is a minimally invasive surgical option for severely obese patients, or obese patients who have obesity-related health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.

During a gastric sleeve procedure, a surgeon removes the outer curve of the stomach to make a new banana-sized stomach or “sleeve.” Since the size of the stomach is reduced to 15% of its previous size, the amount of food an individual can eat is greatly reduced. This leads to sustainable and long-term weight loss for patients who follow a strict aftercare program. Aftercare programs include a strict diet that enables the body to recover and adjust to a smaller stomach size, an exercise regimen and follow-up care by their physician. In addition to gastric sleeve, Cullman Regional also offers the gastric band surgical weight loss procedure.

“Being able to provide our patients with the gastric sleeve option is a big step forward for our surgical program,” said William E. Smith Jr., MD, Cullman Regional Chief Medical Officer. “Launching new services here at Cullman Regional is always exciting as we strive to make quality healthcare more accessible to local residents.”

Informational seminars are currently being offered for members of the community at no cost. Dr. Mac Cottingham and his team lead an in-depth conversation about what’s involved in surgical weight loss, from the costs of surgery itself to what happens afterwards. For more information about Dr. Cottingham or services provided at Cullman Regional, call 256-735-5600 or visit online at cullmanregional.com.