The health risks involved in weight loss surgeries are reasonably small, especially when compared to the long term benefits weight loss can have on your health. It is good to understand what exactly gastric bypass surgery is and what some of the potential complications can be. This way an informed decision can be made about gastric bypass surgery.
What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?
Bariatric or weight loss surgeries work by limiting the amount of food you can eat. In gastric bypass, this is accomplished by dividing the stomach, usually with staples, into two sections, a smaller, upper pouch and a larger lower pouch. The small intestine is then connected to the smaller, upper pouch. This is often what is referred to as stomach stapling. This procedure is generally performed by bariatric surgeons.
Common Complications
One of the most commonly occurring complications, after this type of surgery, is what is known as dumping syndrome. This occurs when a surgery patient eats to much sugar. The sugar will pass quickly into the bowel and cause the patient to feel shaky, dizzy and sweaty. Patients may experience rapid heartbeat and diarrhea. While this syndrome does not pose a serious health threat to patients, it is very upsetting. Gastric bypass patients are therefore advised to avoid high sugar foods.
Another complication that can come about after gastric bypass surgery is nutritional deficiencies. It is estimated that nearly 30% of patients participating in this surgical weight loss procedure, will have problems absorbing important vitamins. This particular complication arises from food bypassing certain parts of the stomach and intestine where important vitamins and minerals are absorbed. The risk of the complication rises when patients do not stick to their nutritional supplements after surgery.
Leakages can sometimes be a problem after gastric bypass surgery. Sometimes a leak can occur in the stapled part of the stomach. This allows fluid from the intestine to escape into the stomach. These leakages can often be treated with antibiotics; occasionally they can be more serious and require emergency surgery to be repaired.
Other Complications
There are other serious complications that can follow bypass surgery. While these more serious complications are rare, they should be considered. As with any surgery there is a risk of death. The death rate in gastric bypass varies between .2 and 1 percent of patients. Age and health condition before surgery can be a determining factor in the death rate. Other serious problems to be aware of are blood clots, incision infection and pneumonia. Finding the proper bariatric treatment center can lower the risk of serious complications.
Benefits
For individuals that struggled with obesity and weight related health conditions, gastric bypass and the ensuing weight loss has a multitude of benefits. Fast weight loss is one major benefit to this surgery. Most patients experience a whopping 50% to 80% loss of excess weight after surgery. Add to that improvement in many weight related health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes, this surgery can be part of an effective weight loss system.
