Comparing tube sizes during weight-loss stomach surgery

This trial is testing whether the size of a calibration tube used during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy — a weight-loss surgery that removes part of the stomach — affects how often patients develop leaks along the surgical seams after surgery. Researchers will compare two tube sizes: a larger 48-Fr tube versus the standard smaller tubes (34, 36, or 38-Fr) that surgeons typically use. The goal is to see if the larger tube reduces complications while still helping patients lose weight long-term.

Sleeve gastrectomy is an increasingly common weight-loss surgery, but one serious complication is a leak along the staple line where the stomach is sealed — this happens in about 3 out of 100 patients and can require long and difficult treatment. Early research suggests that using a larger calibration tube might lower the risk of these leaks, so this trial will test whether that's true.