If you are suffering from obesity and are looking into the options that are available to help you overcome this disease, we understand how challenging all of this can be. There is so much information on the internet, and it is not all reliable or accurate.

You may be considering the most popular form of bariatric surgery, which is the gastric sleeve, or maybe you are looking at some non-surgical options. There are many things to consider, including what the procedure involves, if there are any prerequisites you must fulfill in order to qualify, how long the recovery will take, and the cost of gastric sleeve surgery and how it compares to non-surgical options.

Today we will look at two options and compare some of the differences between the two procedures, including an overview of procedure steps, what you can expect from recovery, and the gastric sleeve cost without insurance vs. the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty cost without insurance.

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Costs of Gastric Sleeve

Gastric Sleeve Surgery

When we compare the cost of the gastric sleeve surgery to that of Suture Sculpt ESG, we need to keep many things in mind to make sure we are looking at the total cost and not only the price of the procedure.

The average cost of gastric sleeve without insurance in the U.S. is about $19,000. This is the base cost and does not include other costs such as the fee for the surgeon, fees related to anesthesia, the operating facility fee, imaging or testing required before surgery, prescriptions, or any post-surgery follow-up appointments. If any complications are encountered, additional costs may be incurred. Gastric sleeve surgery has a substantial recovery time and may be associated with additional costs that you may not have considered. There may be lost income or costs for supplemental help with pets, children, or housework.

Another cost of gastric sleeve surgery that many often overlook is that the patient must take supplements to help ensure they get all the nutrients their body needs to function properly. Depending on the supplements used, patients can spend $30 or more a month.

It is difficult to pinpoint what the average gastric sleeve cost with insurance would be because there are a wide variety of insurance carriers and policies. One insurance carrier might offer a number of plans that cover bariatric surgery, and they can all be completely different. Patients are normally responsible for deductibles, co-pays, and anything else that is not covered by the plan.

Sutura Sculpt ESG

This endoscopic weight loss procedure is not covered by insurance plans; however, it offers more benefits and is significantly lower than the cost of gastric sleeve surgery. The average cost for Suture Sculpt ESG at Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center usually ranges between $9,000 and $11,000, but the price you are quoted to meet your specific needs and circumstances will be all-inclusive, and there will be no hidden fees that pop up.

You will have no activity restrictions and will be back to your normal routine so quickly that you should not have to worry about incurring costs related to help at home or reduced wages from missing work.

Gastric sleeve costs significantly more than Suture Sculpt ESG because it involves a surgical procedure. A recent review published in the Journal of Orthopedic Business reported that the costs related to the use of a surgical theater (operating room) are about $46.00 per minute. If you figure that gastric sleeve surgery takes 2 hours, at this rate, the cost of the facility alone is $5,520. Anesthesia is also billed in increments of time, so the cost of gastric sleeve surgery will include at least twice as many anesthesia increments as Suture Sculpt ESG.

There are many reasons why gastric sleeve surgery costs are much higher than the non-surgical Suture Sculpt ESG procedure, and the latter offers fewer risks, quicker recovery, and comparable, if not better, weight loss results.

Suture Sculpt does not involve the same increased risks as gastric sleeve surgery; it offers the same or better weight loss results; there is barely any downtime and it is less expensive than the cost of gastric sleeve surgery.

We understand that sometimes surgery may seem more attractive because it may be covered by insurance, but remember to weigh the pros and cons of each procedure and consider all the financial factors. You may be surprised to find out that the out-of-pocket expenses for surgery may be almost as much as the entire SS procedure, but SS will get you back to work, ziplining, or skiing while the gastric sleeve patients are still recovering and drinking clear liquids.

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Gastric Sleeve vs ESG: How Do The Procedures Differ?

In order to understand the price difference, it is important to know how the procedures differ in technique and resources. Here is a quick overview of the gastric sleeve (GS) and the Suture Sculpt (SS) endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty procedures.

The Overview

GS is a surgery that takes about 2 hours to complete and is done under general anesthesia.

SS takes between 45 and 60 minutes to complete and is done while the patient is asleep.

What’s Involved

GS surgery involves the permanent excision of about 80% of the stomach. Several incisions are made in the abdomen to access the stomach. This tissue is cut out, and the rest is stapled together into a smaller crescent-shaped pouch. It eliminates a large part of the stomach that distributes the hormone that makes you feel hungry, and you feel full with less food. People lose weight because they are not able to eat as much, and the food they eat takes longer to digest because of their smaller stomach size.

SS is done endoscopically, with no abdominal cuts at all. The whole procedure is done through the patient's mouth and throat. The stomach is sutured into a smaller size and shape using a special tool, so the patient is unable to eat as much in one sitting. The technique that is used to reduce the stomach size prevents the patient from experiencing acid reflux, which is a very common side effect of GS. Also, patients benefit from a reduction in the hunger hormone, improvements in other weight loss-promoting hormones, and decreased stomach capacity, slowing down digestion so they stay feeling full longer.

Length Of Hospital Stay

GS normally requires the patient to stay in the hospital at least overnight.

SS is an outpatient procedure, so there is no hospital stay, and patients return to their own homes the same day.

Recuperación

GS recovery can take anywhere between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on the technique used to perform the surgery. The average recovery usually takes about six weeks. During that time, the patient is on a very strict diet and does not resume eating solids until about two months. They also have activity restrictions in place to ensure they heal properly.

SS recovery usually takes less than 48 hours, and the patient is back to their usual schedule without any restrictions on activities. They must work their way back up to solid foods, similar to patients who have had GS surgery, but they are normally able to resume eating solids after about 4 weeks.

Resultados de la pérdida de peso

Patients who undergo gastric sleeve average a weight loss of about 50%-60% of the extra weight they are carrying. This is different from their total weight and is a percentage of the number of pounds they would have to lose to reach their ideal BMI.

A study at the Mayo Clinic that was published in 2022 reported that a comparison was done among participants who had undergone ESG vs. gastric sleeve surgery and that gastric emptying took significantly longer in the ESG group, which means the patients stayed satisfied for a longer period of time. These findings continued to be true when checked at three months, six months, and twelve months. The other noteworthy finding was that ESG also came out ahead in the percentage of total body weight lost by participants when checked at these same intervals.

Risks

GS is a surgery, so it has a higher risk profile (12%) than the SS (3%), which does not involve incisions or have any of the surgically related risks.

If you have any questions or would like to find out how Suture Sculpt ESG can help you, get in touch with Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Center today. During your consultation, we will go over everything and detail all the financial aspects of the procedure. We also offer financing that can help break up the cost of your Suture Sculpt ESG procedure into smaller more affordable payments. We are here to help you achieve better health and enhance your quality of life.

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