{"id":698604,"date":"2026-05-28T04:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T04:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/698604\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T04:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T04:34:15","slug":"new-weight-loss-procedure-at-royal-alexandra-hospital-being-hailed-a-game-changer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/698604\/","title":{"rendered":"New weight loss procedure at Royal Alexandra Hospital being hailed a \u2018game-changer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Albertans living with obesity<\/a> who want to lose weight and keep it off long-term now have a new semi-surgical option that is minimally invasive and publicly funded.<\/p>\n

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The procedure, called an endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty<\/a> (ESG), involves a patient\u2019s stomach being stitched into a smaller size \u2014 but it\u2019s all done from the inside of the body, via a person\u2019s throat.<\/p>\n

The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton is the first in Alberta to offer ESG.<\/p>\n

During the approximately 90-minute process, the patient is put under general anaesthesia while the surgical team inserts a thin, flexible tube with a camera down the mouth to reach the stomach.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSurgical staff at the Royal Alexandra Hospital performing the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), in which part of a patient\u2019s stomach is stitched up from the inside via a tube down the throat, making the organ smaller without incisions.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Health Services\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The doctors then use tools through the endoscope to stitch the stomach, from the inside, into a smaller organ to reduce its size.\u00a0They don\u2019t cut away or remove the tissue, as is done in some other bariatric weight-loss procedures.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe technology is actually quite impressive, allowing us to do this fairly minimally invasive approach,\u201d said Royal Alex gastroenterologist Dr. Kirles Bishay.<\/p>\n

The result: a smaller stomach that gets full faster, resulting in less food being consumed overall \u2014 putting a patient in a calorie deficit that leads to weight loss.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tDuring a endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), part of a patient\u2019s stomach is stitched up from the inside via a tube down the throat, making the organ smaller without incisions.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Health Services via Boston Scientific EMEA YouTube\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a technology that\u2019s a true game-changer,\u201d said bariatric surgeon Dr. Noah Switzer, who said his field has evolved drastically from the early days of \u201cstomach stapling.\u201d<\/p>\n

While ESG is intended to be permanent, Switzer said because no part of the organ is removed, it can be reversed completely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the future of bariatric surgery,\u201d he said, adding with other procedures patients often have to take Tylenol 3 or other strong painkillers afterwards, but not with ESG.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPatients have no pain because it\u2019s all on the inside. So they can come in the morning and leave the same day with no incisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishay and Switzer brought their different but complementary skill sets to help patients at the Adult Bariatric Specialty Surgery Clinic.<\/p>\n

The endoscopic procedure is jointly performed by the surgeon and gastroenterologist though the Royal Alex clinic, which is the only facility in Alberta where it\u2019s available.<\/p>\n

Their first procedure was done Dec. 5, 2025, and more than 10 patients have received the treatment in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGastroenterologist Dr. Kirles Bishay, left, and upper gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon Dr. Noah Switzer, explain the equipment they use for endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty procedures at The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJames Maclennan\/ The Canadian Press\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The procedure can be done alongside taking GLP-1 weight loss medications like semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound).<\/p>\n

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In a nutshell, those drugs slow down stomach emptying and the rate at which food moves through the intestines \u2014 meaning it takes more time to be digested and absorbed, leading to longer satiety and more stable blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n

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But it comes at a cost: depending on the dosage, weight loss medications can run a patient nearly $500 a month and are not covered by many private insurance plans. The cost is currently coming down as Health Canada approves generic semaglutide.<\/p>\n

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ESG offers a more permanent, one-time solution compared to the drugs alone, which when stopped often result in weight regain and thus are considered a lifelong medication for those with obesity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot less invasive. It\u2019s quite a bit easier to get it over,\u201d said Mary-Ann Thurber, who had ESG done at the beginning of February and is now nearly 100 lbs. lower than her highest weight.<\/p>\n

Thurber, 65, has struggled with obesity since she was a teenager:\u00a0\u201c50 years of losing and gaining, you know, the usual pattern that people go through.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMary-Ann Thurber smiles while speaking with media about her Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty treatment at The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJames Maclennan\/ The Canadian Press\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Thurber found short-term success with Wegovy, diet changes and exercise \u2014 which led to her dropping 80 pounds.<\/p>\n

Losing weight is one battle \u2014 but keeping it off long-term is another challenge entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s really good anti-obesity medication out there, patients are losing a lot of weight through these medications,\u201d Switzer said. \u201cBut they\u2019re like, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t want to stay on this medication forever or long-term, or I can\u2019t afford it, or I don\u2019t like the side effects associated with it.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is the other option where complication rate is very small, the benefits are really large.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a patient of the Edmonton Adult Bariatric Specialty Surgery Clinic, Thurber was offered the new procedure as an alternative, long-term treatment option.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis was not so much about losing a lot more weight \u2014 although I hoped I would \u2014 but it was about giving me another tool to kind of maintain my weight,\u201d Thurber said.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tSurgical staff at the Royal Alexandra Hospital performing the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), in which part of a patient\u2019s stomach is stitched up from the inside via a tube down the throat, making the organ smaller without incisions.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Health Services\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Thurber is proud of her weight loss success and glad she said yes to ESG.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was feeling good before with the 80 pounds but somehow this kind of made it even better,\u201d she said, adding she was uncomfortable going through with the more traditional routes like gastric bypass surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lost another 12 pounds with a procedure and I feel really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gastric bypass or other procedures requiring surgery often have a four to six week recovery time but Thurber said she bounced back in half that time \u2014 she even asked her doctor to clear her to return to work early, after three weeks.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe first week or two was not rough at all, it was quite easy. You\u2019re having liquid diets and soft food diets, so there is a recovery time and you sleep a lot but yeah, it was fine,\u201d Thurber said.<\/p>\n

She has adjusted to having smaller portions and eating slower, saying if she overeats she\u2019ll feel sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look around at people who are\u2026 \u2018regular sized\u2019\u2026 I would say, that\u2019s what they do. So now that\u2019s why I\u2019m doing it,\u201d Thurber said.<\/p>\n

The procedure hasn\u2019t just benefited her physically \u2014 it\u2019s also helped Thurber with her confidence and mental health.<\/p>\n

Like many overweight people, she lived in shame and was self-conscious for many years \u2014 but not anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel better being out amongst people, which is this odd thing to say, but when you\u2019re very heavy \u2014 you always think people are looking at you.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I just don\u2019t even worry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeking medical interventions for weight loss is becoming more common in society \u2014 Switzer said he\u2019s seen a big increase in the past five to 10 years and encourages patients to pair surgery and medications like WeGovy or Mounjaro.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the stigma of using GLP-1s is slowly fading as more evidence of their effectiveness comes to light.<\/p>\n

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Thurber encourages other people living with chronic obesity to look into such options to improve their long-term health and challenges those who judge to think twice.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople shouldn\u2019t be shamed for taking GLP-1s or for having procedures or surgeries like this.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a major battle to try and keep weight off, so anything that can help with that is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Royal Alex is now home to the largest ESG program in Western Canada.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A referral to the Edmonton Adult Bariatric Specialty Surgery Clinic at the Royal Alex<\/a> by a physician, nurse practitioner, or specialist is required for adults who struggle with obesity and meet clinic criteria.<\/p>\n

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In preparing for bariatric surgery, AHS says medical and psychological interventions are provided to patients to ensure they are successful pre- and post-surgery.<\/p>\n

\u2014with files from Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Albertans living with obesity who want to lose weight and keep it off long-term now have a new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":698605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[254610,49,48,254413,84,44,1229,66,254609],"class_list":["post-698604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-adult-bariatric-specialty-surgery-clinic","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-endoscopic-sleeve-gastroplasty","tag-health","tag-news","tag-obesity","tag-science","tag-weight-loss-surgery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/698605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}