Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Gastric Bypass (Weight Loss) Surgery:

The term weight loss, bariatric, or gastric bypass surgery comes from a set of surgeries whose aim is to change the way that a patient’s body absorbs food. Actually, gastric bypass surgery is a form of bariatric surgery.

It is performed in order to reduce a patient’s weight not only through surgery but through a lifestyle change. The patient will undergo surgery, but the patient must also learn to eat the right kinds of food, proper portion sizes, how to exercise, and how to change the style of life that brought on the obesity in the first place.

Gastric bypass surgery is not considered a cosmetic procedure like liposuction.  In a gastric bypass is a medical procedure that helps to correct excessive weight or obesity in patients who find themselves in high-risk categories.

As was previously stated, this type of procedure is not all-encompassing, or an end-all. Instead, it is part of an entire treatment plan that includes nutritionists, a physical therapist, mental health specialists, internal medicine specialists and, of course, the gastric bypass surgeon.

You can expect the gastric bypass procedure to last from 2-3 hours, on average:

Expected hospital stay is 2-3 nights
Average recovery time before being able to travel home is around 7 days.

How do I know whether I am a candidate for Gastric Bypass surgery?

You may be a prime candidate for this type of weight reduction surgery if your body mass index (BMI) over 40.
You may be a candidate if you have some chronic clinical conditions such as (but not limited to) diabetes and hypertension and your BMI is between 35-40kg/M2?  If you have type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension and a BMI under 35, then you may be a prime candidate for mini-gastric bypass surgery to treat and reverse type 2 diabetes.

Do you have sleep apnea that your doctor has suggested will improve through weight loss?
Have you failed with other types of weight-loss therapies for obese patients?
If so, then you could be considered a prime candidate for gastric bypass surgery.

Details of the Procedure:

The procedures, techniques, and any other methods that will be used by the surgeon will be discussed with you thoroughly with the surgical team prior to your gastric bypass surgery.

You can also watch an animated gastric bypass video so you can become familiar with the procedure.

Gastric Bypass:

During this procedure, the surgeon actually cuts the stomach into two sections. The bigger of the two sections is sutured together and closed. The smaller section of the stomach is directly attached to the middle section of the small intestine (jejunum).

This is why it is called gastric bypass since the rest of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine are bypassed. Therefore, the procedure reduces the food portions you can eat, and it lowers calorie absorption in the part of the small intestine known as the duodenum.

If you are worried about complications from this type of surgery, the fact is that the surgical team, led by Dr. Jacobo Zafrany, one of the leading laparoscopic gastric bypass surgeons in Latin America, has a less than 1% complication rate.

What takes place after the Surgery?

You will awaken from surgery, and  you may feel bloated. You may also feel a constant urge to use the bathroom during the hours directly following the surgery. This is because all of the left-over gas will work its way through your digestive system, and it will be eliminated.

Foley Catheter:

During surgery, the need may arise to use a Foley Catheter, which is simply a tube that is placed into the bladder to direct and drain urine into a plastic bag. To avoid many unnecessary complications, draining urine is considered very important.

Deep Breathing:

To avoid further complications, your lungs are going to need plenty of exercise and use. Hence, it is going to be required for you to do deep breathing exercises through a series of ten very deep breaths every hour. A spirometer might be prescribed by your surgeon or physician to help you with your deep breathing exercises.

Deep Venous Thrombosis Prevention:

A very serious complication that could develop following surgery is Deep Venous Thrombosis or DVT. Since you will be lying down for long periods of time and the blood in your legs will become static, there will be a tendency to form blood clots. Therefore, to prevent DVT, medications, compression stockings, or pneumatic boots can be used. There will be special exercises for you to perform at home as you recover prescribed by your doctor.

Diet:

You are going to go through a change in your diet, especially in the types of food you should eat and portion size. There will be a nutritionist available who will assist you so that you can properly adjust your diet following your surgery.

Walking:

You receive instructions from the surgical team on when it will be considered safe for you to begin walking and performing other daily activities.

Medications:

Each patient is different and will have unique needs, but some of the medications that may be prescribed by your physician or surgeon while you are in the hospital are listed below. The nursing staff should thoroughly explain the benefits, risks, and alternatives to medication.

Antibiotics: There is going to bve a risk of infection following surgery, and antibiotics are designed to help reduce this risk.

Anti-nausea medicine:

Anesthesia could have the tendency of making you nauseous, and there is medication that will help you feel better while you are healing and recovering.

Pain medication:

After surgery, you are going to be given a comprehensive pain-management plan. This pain-management plan may include medicine; it may also a catheter that is placed in your spine, or  a self-control pump so that you can do your own pain management. Once the surgery is done, the pain from the procedure should be minimal, and every efforts will be made so that you can feel comfortable and at ease.

Sleep medication:

It is extremely important for your recovery and general well-being that you rest and sleep well the first few nights after surgery, and sleep-inducing medication will help you get a good night’s sleep.

Other medications:

If they are recommended by your physician, there could be other medications administered.

Risks and alternatives to treatment:

There are risks that are inherent risks in all medical procedures, and laparoscopic gastric bypass is no excluded. Risks are usually minimal, but you need to know and understand that they do exist. Since each patient is unique, then each individual will present his/her own set of risk possibilities. Before the surgery is performed, these risk possibilities should be fully discussed with the surgeon and personal physician.

Risks include but they are not limited to:

The most common risk related to anesthesia is an allergic reaction, but  you could also experience breathing difficulties.

There could be unexpected blood-loss, as well as damage to abdominal organs, and these may require a second surgery after your gastric bypass surgery.

You may still experience complications such as blood clots and infection after a successful gastric bypass surgery.

Since there is a chance that complications may occur during or right after surgery, your surgery team is well-trained to help lessen the chances and deal with anything adverse occurring during or directly after surgery.

If any complications do take place, a subsequent surgery may be needed to rectify the problem. Full information will be given by your surgeon about the options that are available if you have any complications.

Be Sure to Contact Your Surgeon if:

You have a fever
Your surgical wound is oozing or feels hot
The problems for which you had the surgery worsen
You develop a lot of pain in your legs
When you pass urine, you have pain or a burning sensation