The short answer is yes, if you do it right. And we do it right, with every patient! We give every patient the time and attention that they need, and limit our bariatric surgeries to 3 to 5 surgeries per day. No surgery is ever rushed. Our surgeon meets our patients every day of their stay. Performing our surgeries in a full-service hospital with every patient covered by medical complication insurance, permits us to provide the highest level of medical care, while giving our patients peace of mind.
Proper cleaning and sterilization of operating rooms is not rocket science, it is basic medicine. First year medical students are taught how to clean and sterilize using the three basic methods which are (1) gas for plastic instruments, (2) liquid for medical instruments and medical implants, and (3) autoclave for metal surgical instruments. There are also approved liquids for cleaning the operating room. These methods take time, roughly 1 hour to properly clean and sterilize an operating room between patients.
Bariatric surgery is not an assembly line business. The average gastric sleeve surgery takes approximately an hour in the operating room. Five patients in any given day means five hours in the operating room. Add to that one hour between patients to properly clean and sterilize the operating room, and that is an additional 4 hours: 5 + 4 = 9 hours total. That is a full day for any surgeon. To do 15 or 20 surgeries in one day with one operating room is unimaginable. The math simply does not work.
Patient preparation before surgery is critically important. We strongly recommend our bariatric patients, to do at home, beginning 14 days prior to surgery, what we call a 7 Day Detox/Colon Cleanse. It is a week-long process designed to remove the putrefied mucoidal plaque that is attached to the insides of all our colons. The final week before surgery is liquids only for all patients which has the effect of shrinking the patient’s liver. This allows our patients to be 100% ready for bariatric surgery and have virtually no post op symptoms of nausea, vomiting, gas pain, etc. Having a clean colon allows patient’s liver to quickly metabolize the medications used during surgery.
Two-night hospital stay with intravenous fluids for sleeve patients. This is the proper protocol for bariatric patients undergoing the gastric sleeve procedure. For bypass patients, a three-night hospital stay is required. Having the IV fluids for 48 hours post-op makes a huge difference in patient healing, and we give IV medications to prevent nausea, pain, and reduce inflammation. This promotes patient’s comfort and healing process.
Certified hospital for medical tourists meets strict international standards. Trinity Medical offers our bariatric (weight loss) and plastic surgeries at Hospital Guadalajara located on 2nd Street in Tijuana, Mexico. Hospital Guadalajara is a full service “Certified Hospital for Medical Tourists” by the Mexican Federal Government agency known as “CSG.” The hospital has full radiology, emergency room, ICU, blood bank, endoscopic services, dedicated bariatric wing, licensed, and registered physicians, and nurses, and operates 24/7 as a privately-owned hospital that is open to the public.
Newest generation and properly sized surgical staples. We only use the latest generation called 6 Row surgical staples, meaning three rows of staples on each side of the stomach incision. Also, we use the proper size of staples as they come in different sizes. This eliminates the potential for leaks often found with obsolete 4 row staples, and prevents the stomach splitting open which is caused by staples that are too short.
Incisions sealed in the operating room with surgical glue to prevent skin infections. This may seem like a minor detail, but sealing the incisions in the operating room under sterile conditions has proven to be 100% effective in preventing skin infections post-op. This allows our patients to be able to shower as soon as they are ready after surgery without fear of getting their incisions infected. The surgical glue will separate by itself from the incision within two weeks post-op. No extra precautions are necessary.
Strict 30-Day post-op diet designed to allow patient’s new stomach to heal properly. The diet is designed to allow maximum time for the patients stomach to begin healing itself without the burden of attempting to digest food prematurely. Ingesting food prematurely will cause digestive acid and fluids to enter the patient’s new stomach and slow down the healing process.
Comprehensive post op nutritional guidance. This allows our bariatric patients to reach their goal weight in the shortest time possible. After bariatric surgery, and any surgery for that matter, what you eat and what you do not eat are both critically important. Knowing what enzymes to take with what protein, how to deal with symptoms of sliming and frothing, how to find the best vitamins, how to check yourself for hypothyroidism, candid overgrowths, etc. Our nutritional guidance is the most comprehensive in this business.