Bariatric surgery has been established as the most effective treatment for morbid obesity and related co morbidities. However, many people who are definitive candidates for surgery shy away from this treatment because of its associated cost.
The costing of any surgical procedure is determined by a number of factors- Patient profile, technical complexity of the procedure, duration, length of hospital stay and medicines and consumables used in the procedure and afterwards. For bariatric surgery, the complexity of this surgery has been reduced by the use of high tech gadgets which make the surgery fast and bloodless. These are the energy devices which are used for cutting fatty tissues and the stapling devices which are used on the stomach and the intestines. Since these devices are meant only for single use, it means that they add to the cost of the procedure significantly.
The energy devices are the harmonic scalpel and the ligasure which are both used widely and they use ultrasonic vibrations and regulated electric current respectively to seal the blood vessels. Stapling devices are also available from various companies, the most reliable ones being from Medtronics and Johnson & Johnson. These staple the desired part of the gastrointestinal tract in 3 rows on either side and cut the tissue in between. The usage of these stapling devices decreases the technical complexity of bariatric surgery and also increases the chances of error. The longer the length of tissue which needs to be stapled, the more number of stapling cartridges have to be used, and hence, the higher the cost of the bariatric surgery. There are also cost variations amongst different cartridges depending upon the technology used with the latest ones coming at a higher cost.
The cost for bariatric surgery in India can vary between 2 to 5 lacs INR depending upon the hospital, surgeon and the type of procedure. This cost is only 20-30% of that which is charged in the western world or even in Middle Eastern countries. This is partly because of the lower overall health care costs in the private sector in India and lower operative fees which are charged by doctors generally. The costing can increase significantly if the patient requires stay in the ICU after the procedure or develops a complication necessitating further interventions or increased hospital stay.
It is a good idea to understand the costing of your surgery in detail and to get a proper estimate before embarking upon the procedure to avoid confusions and misunderstandings in the future.