Gastric Bypass

What is a gastric bypass?

Gastric bypass surgery is a type of bariatric surgery. Its goal is to reduce the patient’s food and/or calorie intake through operations on the upper digestive system (the stomach), which physically and psychologically affect the patient’s approach to food.

A gastric bypass divides the stomach into two “pouches” and connects the smaller upper pouch directly to the small intestine, allowing food to “bypass” much of the stomach. This means that the stomach absorbs fewer calories and, because of the smaller space, the patient feels full faster. As a result, you will eat less.

Gastric bypass is commonly used to
weight loss in morbidly obese patients.

Why is gastric bypass used?

Gastric bypass is used to treat a wide variety of conditions that require the patient to eat less or reduce caloric intake. It is commonly used as a weight loss treatment for morbid obesity, although surgery is rarely the first choice, as major operations carry risks and can be expensive, so trying to lose weight through exercise and dietary changes are usually the first steps to take. If this does not help the patient to lose weight, the specialist may consider surgical options, such as gastric bypass.

Other reasons that may require a gastric bypass could be type 2 diabetes, patients with obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension.

The average, after gastric bypass surgery, is a weight loss of 60% of your excess weight. Some studies have shown that it also significantly reduces the risk of glucose intolerance (IGT), which progresses to type 2 diabetes.

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What does it consist of?

With gastric bypass, the amount of food a patient can eat is limited by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach and dividing it from the rest of the organ. This can be done by creating a partition (with the risk of the stomach curving back to its preoperative function), or by completely separating the two parts. The small intestine is reconstructed, so that both parts of the stomach drain into it, rather than just from the bottom of the stomach.

The surgery is usually performed laparoscopically, that is, small incisions are made to insert a small camera and specialized surgical equipment to perform the operation without the need to make large incisions in the patient.

Preparation for a gastric bypass

No specific preparation is necessary to undergo a gastric bypass. In any case, it will be the specialist who will recommend the patient if he/she has to undergo any specific procedure due to his/her condition.

Care after the intervention

If the gastric bypass surgery is performed laparoscopically, the patient can stay in the hospital for 2-3 days and will recover completely in about 3-5 weeks. If the operation is performed with open surgery the recovery process will be longer.