Gastric Bypass
Gastric bypass dramatically decreases the amount of food a person can consume, while at the same time allowing a sense of fullness and satisfaction with smaller meals.
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is one of the current gold standard techniques for weight loss surgery. At Hickory Surgical Clinic, laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery has been the cornerstone of our surgical weight loss program for over 8 years.
There are four major steps to the RNY gastric bypass operation:
- The stomach is divided to create a small stomach pouch.
- The small intestine is divided to create a “Roux” limb.
- The intestine is attached to the new stomach pouch.
- The intestine is re-connected to form a “Y”-shaped connection.
This procedure reduces the size of the stomach into a small pouch that can only hold a small amount of food (about 1-2 ounces). The food travels from this small pouch directly into the intestine, bypassing the great majority of the stomach.
The stomach pouch fills with food rapidly and empties slowly. When the pouch gets full, the brain responds with a feeling of fullness or satiety, even though the person has only consumed a very small amount of food. The result is that fewer calories are consumed over the course of the day, which in the long run leads to weight loss that can be maintained for life.
This operation has other positive effects as well. For example, bypassing the stomach and duodenum has an immediate effect on blood sugar control. Often patients with adult-onset diabetes who undergo gastric bypass are able to quickly reduce or eliminate their blood-sugar medications. Also a hormone called ghrelin (the so-called “hunger hormone” which stimulates the appetite) actually decreases after gastric bypass, a phenomenon which may help explain the reduction in appetite often associated with this operation.
Risks of Surgery
As with any operation, there are risks associated with weight loss surgical procedures. Possible risks include, but are not limited to:
› Complications due to anesthesia and medications
› Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)
› Pulmonary embolus
› Intestinal leak
› Bleeding
› Possible need for an open operation
› Death
Long-term complications may also arise, particularly in patients who are not able or willing to follow the postoperative diet instructions and maintain lifelong followup with their doctor. Some possible long-term problems include:
› Inadequate weight loss
› Ulcers
› Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
› Adhesions and/or hernias
› Possible need for other procedures in the future
For more information about morbid obesity and the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation, please visit the weight loss surgery info site from Ethicon Endo-Surgery.
Gastric bypass surgery should be considered a “tool” to allow a person more control over the consumption of food.
Other Surgical Options
There are a variety of other weight loss operations, and also variations of the standard RNY operation performed at some other centers. Every operation has certain advantages and disadvantages. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation offered at the Hickory Surgical Clinic is a nationally standardized procedure that has a well-established track record of excellent weight loss results, weight loss that is maintained over long-term followup, and low risk for most patients. For these reasons we agree that this operation is the “gold standard” for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity.
If you or someone you love is morbidly obese, please call us at (828) 327-9178 to get a full assessment of your condition. Weight loss surgery may be an option for you.
