Hospital Stay after Bariatric Surgery
The hospital stay after bariatric surgery generally varies based on the patient’s health, ability to recover, and the procedure that they underwent. Some of the variables in recovery include:
- Obese patients tend to be in less than optimal health, and as a result, will have many unique challenges during recovery that will require close attention during their hospital stay. Type-II diabetes, for example, makes it more difficult for a patient to heal after surgery, and patients with severe cases must be monitored very closely.
- Each patient will have a different capacity for recovery. Younger patients, for example, will generally be able to bounce back more quickly, while older patients may require additional time in recovery after surgery. Before and after surgery, the surgeon will evaluate their patient’s particular circumstances and estimate the hospital stay accordingly. If the patient seems to be making good progress in recovery, they may be discharged earlier. If their recovery is somewhat slow, they may have to take additional time in the hospital.
- Finally, depending on the procedure, hospital stays will vary. Some procedures can be performed in an outpatient ambulatory surgical center, rather than a hospital. This means that there is no hospital stay at all. Rather, the patient is kept under observation for a time after surgery and is released the same day. If any complications do arise, most outpatient surgery centers have intervention specialists, and for more serious cases, the patient can be transported to a local hospital for further care.
- Patients will most often spend one to two days in the hospital. Once again, depending on the patient’s recovery after the surgery, this timeline may be adjusted.
No surgeon will risk a patient’s health to get them home sooner than is necessary for them to fully recover. As such, recovery is a very fluid process.
