Gastric Bypass Surgery for Weight Loss
Gastric bypass surgery, also called the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, is the most common form of weight loss surgery performed in the United States today.
| Description: |
Creates a small pouch that bypasses the stomach and attaches to the intestine. Surgery is irreversible, in most cases. |
| Method: |
Your bariatric surgeon will perform surgery either:
- Laparoscopically, making several small 1/4- to 1/2-inch abdominal incisions.
- Traditionally as an “open” procedure, making one 10- to 12-inch abdominal incision.
|
| How you lose weight: |
Restricts the amount of food you can eat and reduces the number of calories your body will absorb. |
| Weight loss: |
Weight loss is rapid. Expect to lose 60 to 80 percent of excess body weight within 12 to 18 months after surgery. |
| Surgery time: |
1.5 hours. |
| Hospital stay: |
Two to three days. |
| Recovery time: |
About two weeks. |
What to Expect: Gastric Bypass Surgery
Here's what to expect if you're considering gastric bypass surgery.
During Gastric Bypass Surgery
After you receive general anesthesia, your bariatric surgeon will:
- Assess the abdomen and then use surgical staples to create a small pouch at the top of your stomach.
- This pouch — which over time can hold about one cup of food — will be your new, smaller stomach.
- A normal stomach can hold more than four to six cups of food.
- Cut the small intestine and attach it to the new pouch.
- With the intestinal bypass, food will now move from the new stomach pouch to the middle section of the small intestine.
- It will bypass the lower stomach and the upper section of the small intestine.
- Attach the upper section of the small intestine to the middle section of the small intestine.
- This will allow digestive fluids, that the lower stomach makes, move down the upper section of the small intestine and into the middle section.
- Close the incisions with staples or stitches.
After Gastric Bypass Surgery
- You can expect to stay in the hospital for two to three days.
- The morning after your surgery, you will:
- Start a clear liquid diet for at least two weeks. It's very important that you drink at least 64 ounces of fluid every day to avoid becoming dehydrated.
- Begin to go for walks around your room and in the halls.
- Immediately before discharge, your bariatric surgery team will give you instructions on how to care for yourself at home, including:
- Incision and drainage care
- Pain control
- Vitamin supplements to get adequate amounts of vitamin B12, iron, and calcium
Dumping Syndrome and Other Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery
Dumping syndrome is a potential risk of gastric bypass surgery.
It occurs when large volumes of food in the stomach move too quickly through the small intestine, frequently after eating sweet or high-fat foods.
Dumping syndrome can cause:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Cramps
- Diarrhea
- Sweating
- Dizziness
- Weakness
Other risks and complications of gastric bypass surgery include:
- Perforation of stomach or intestines
- Leakage of surgical connection between the stomach and the intestine
- Internal bleeding or profuse bleeding of the surgical wound
- Gastric pouch/anastomotic obstruction or bowel obstruction
Your bariatric surgeon will review all potential risks and complications with you prior to surgery.