Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

The Gastric Bypass procedure enables weight loss through a combination of restriction and malabsorption. During surgery your surgeon creates a small stomach pouch, which limits food intake (portion control). The surgeon then attaches a section of the small intestine (jejunum) directly to the new pouch. This allows food to bypass a portion of the small intestine (duodenum), which normally absorbs calories and nutrients. Having the smaller stomach pouch causes patients to feel full sooner and eat less food; bypassing a portion of the small intestine means the patient’s body absorbs fewer calories. As you eat less food and absorb fewer calories, your body will stop storing excess calories and start using its fat supply for energy.

Benefits of the Gastric Bypass:

• A long history, most commonly performed procedure in the US.
• Patients report an early sense of fullness and satisfaction that reduces the desire to eat.
• Patients generally lose more weight sooner than patients who undergo purely a restrictive procedure.
• Excess weight loss results are exceptional.
• Obesity related disease resolution rates are excellent.
• It can be performed laparoscopically, which means less pain, less blood loss, and short hospital stay.
• Built in negative feedback reinforcement with Dumping Syndrome, which produces rapid movement of food through the small intestine leaving the patient uncomfortable. This provides warnings signs of too much sugar, food and fat is being consumed thus reinforcing healthy food choices.

Considerations and Risks of the Gastric Bypass:

• The Gastric Bypass is still a major surgery and comes with a degree of surgical risk, which may be exacerbated by a patient’s poor health due to obesity.
• If any staple lines begin to leak, the results could be bleeding or infection in the abdomen which requires emergency care and surgery.
• The Gastric Bypass is treated as a permanent approach and is not adjustable.
• There will be a hospital stay with this procedure.
• There are potential risks of anastomotic leaks, fistulas, intestinal irritation and ulcers, Dumping Syndrome, vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as iron, chronic anemia, vitamin B12 and calcium requiring lifelong vitamin supplements along with the lifelong difficulty in visualizing the lower stomach and segments of the small intestine when using endoscopy.