A multidisciplinary team at a Mumbai hospital has successfully performed a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on a 45-year-old man from Mumbai, weighing 212 kg. The patient, who battled multiple obesity-related health conditions, has lost 43 kgs within the first six months of surgery and is on the path to further weight loss.

The team at Saifee Hospital led by Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker, a bariatric, hernia, and laparoscopic surgeon, treated the patient (who wishes to remain anonymous), who was working as a supervisor in a Gulf country, had been suffering from gradual weight gain over the years. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure three years ago and had obstructive sleep apnoea and struggled with daytime sleepiness, chronic back pain, varicose veins, breathlessness, and swelling in both feet and ankles. He also had acanthosis nigricans (a condition that causes areas of dark, thick, velvety skin in body folds and creases) on his forehead and neck. This skin condition is linked with insulin resistance and is a sign of early diabetes.

In the past, he had attempted multiple weight loss diets, each offering short-term success followed by rapid weight regain leading to immense frustration. The weight kept increasing, and as it crossed 165 kg, even basic movement became a struggle, making physical exercise nearly impossible.