The role of surgery
Surgery is one of the treatments for obesity. Its role is discussed according to your health, your history, your needs and your preferences. It is part of comprehensive care and, depending on the situation, may be combined with medication.
A surgical assessment consultation helps determine whether an operation is indicated for you and lets you discuss the other options. Any operation is decided collectively by the multidisciplinary team, with you.
Find out more
- When to consider surgery
- Choosing an operation
- Gastric bypass
- Sleeve gastrectomy
- Other procedures and new approaches
- What care is available when BMI is over 50?
- Medication and surgery
- Preparing for surgery
- Hospital stay and return home
- Follow-up after surgery
- Insurance cover
In this section
- When should you consider obesity surgery?When to ask for a surgical assessment, which criteria apply in Switzerland, and why a BMI figure alone is not enough to decide.
- Gastric bypassHow gastric bypass works, what you can expect from it, its specific risks and the follow-up it requires.
- Sleeve gastrectomyHow sleeve gastrectomy works, the question of acid reflux, the risks and the follow-up it requires.
- Choosing an operationSleeve or bypass: what they have in common, how they differ and what goes into a shared decision.
- Benefits, risks and constraints of surgeryWhat obesity surgery can offer, its short- and long-term risks, the lifelong constraints and how your situation is assessed.
- Preparation and assessment before obesity surgeryAt least three months to complete the assessment, get informed and decide collectively: the main steps and what you can do yourself.
- Obesity surgery: insurance cover in SwitzerlandWhat basic health insurance covers: BMI, two years of treatment, a recognised centre with no prior cost approval request, follow-up included, and semi-private or private hospital stays.
- Hospital stay and return homeThe day of the operation, a stay of two to three nights, starting to eat again, going home, the warning signs that mean you should call, and who to contact.
- Life and follow-up after obesity surgeryLifelong follow-up, every six months after the first year: vitamins, blood tests, diet, psychological support, pregnancy and weight regain.
- Other procedures and new approachesDuodenal switch, SADI-S, transit bipartition, SASI, one-anastomosis gastric bypass: how they work, how much long-term evidence exists, their status in Switzerland, and staged approaches.
- Revisional surgery: reassessing your situation after an operationReflux, weight regain, eating difficulties after obesity surgery: when to seek a reassessment, what options exist and where to be seen.