Gastric Bypass Information

What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?

There are quite a few different procedures that can be used for gastric bypass surgery.  In all of the procedures, the goal is to divide the stomach into two pouches so as the reduce the total volume of the patient’s stomach.  Then surgeons reconnect the small intestine to the stomach allowing both of these pouches to be connected to the intestine.  The end result is that this changes the way that the patient’s body responds to food.

Patients usually undergo gastric bypass surgery in order to treat one of the following disorders:

  • morbid obesity
  • sleep apnea
  • hypertension
  • diabetes


What are the benefits of Gastric Bypass Surgery?

With gastic bypass surgery, patients typically see weight loss of somewhere between 65-80% of their excess body weight.
As a result of this weight loss, patients additionally see the following results:

  • In roughly 70% of patients, conditions of Hyperlipoproteinemia are corrected.  This is a condition in which there are an abnormally high level of lipids in the blood.
  • Typically, snoring and sleep apnea are much relieved after surgery
  • Type 2 diabetes is reversed in nearly 90% of patients
  • Acid reflux disease is relieved in nearly all patients.
  • In more than 70% of patients, Idiopathic Hypertension is relieved.  This is a condition in which blood pressure is unusually elevated.
  • Leg swellingn due to blod clots is often relieved as well
  • Due to the weight loss, leg pain and lower back pain is often relieved as well

Overall, studies have show that patients see an almost 90% reduction in mortality over the following 5 years after the surgery.  This is compared to patients who didn’t receive the surgery.

What are the different kids of Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Proximal gastric bypass
This is the most common form of gastic bypass surgery.  In this variation of the surgery, patients are the least likely to suffer from nutrional problems after the surgery.

Distal gastric bypass
In this variation of gastric bypass surgery, the connection between stomach and intestine is move further down the tract.  The end result is that the intestine has a reduced ability to absorb food, espeically starches and fats.

Mini-gastric bypass
This variation was the first version of the gastric bypass surgery.  These days, this version of gastric bypass surgery is more often used for stomach cancer surgery or ulcer surgery.  The risks associated with this surgery outweight the weight loss benefits and, thus, this form of gastic bypass surgery isn’t typically used for weight loss surgery

What happens after Gastic Bypass Surgery?

After gastric bypass surgery, the size of the patient’s stomach is usually reduced by more than 90%.  So, now when a patient ingest a small amount of food, the patient mroe quickly feels the sensation of being full.  Often, a patient will feel satiated after eating little more than an amount of food the size of their thumb.  The patient soon learns to slow, or cease, eating after this sensation to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.

What are the possible complications of Gastric Bypass Surgery?

As with any surgery, there can be complications.  And, these vary in severity.  In the case of gastric bypass surgery, these complications can range from anastomotic leakage, ulcers, anastomotic stricture and nutritional deficiencies.

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