Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The Procedures Involved In Gastric Bypass Surgery

By Brian Anderson


Bariatric surgery is an operation that is used to facilitate weight loss. This may be achieved through one of several ways: reduced food intake due to reduced stomach capacity, reduced absorption of nutrients or both mechanisms. An example of bariatric surgery is gastric bypass surgery. There are a number of important things that New York residents should know about this procedure if you have plans of having it.

In general, weight-loss surgeries should be performed as a last resort for people who have tried all the non-surgical options of weight loss but have been unsuccessful. They are likely to be more beneficial in persons who are suffering from or are at risk of developing weight-related complications such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes type 2, gastro-esophageal reflux disease and stroke among others. The general recommendation is that the candidate should have a BMI(body mass index) of not less than 40 (or 35 if they already have the complications).

As soon as you have been booked for the operation, you will be instructed on what you need to do as part of the preparation. You may be subjected to some tests to establish if you can withstand the operation. You may be asked to withhold on some drugs or foods to reduce the risk of complications. If you smoke, you should stop at least two weeks in advance.

There are several types of gastric bypass operations that exist. The most common is known as the Roux-en-Y. It can be performed through a small incision which helps to reduce the time needed for recovery. The first step in this operation is to staple the stomach together or to place a band in the vertical plane which converts the organ into a small pouch. This reduces the amount of food that can be held at any given point in time.

The second step is the fashioning of a Y-shaped portion of the intestines and attaching it onto the pouch. This means that the food can move directly from the pouch (stomach) into the Y-shaped portion and bypass another part (hence the term). The result of this is a reduction in the absorption of nutrients and calories. The rate of weight gain is markedly reduced within weeks to months.

A rare type of operation that may be performed is extensive gastric bypass. This is also known as biliopancreatic diversion. It is more complicated and takes a lot longer than the conventional bypass procedure. In the operation the lower part of the stomach is removed and the remainder is connected to the last intestinal part leaving out the first two parts. Due to the associated severe nutrient deficiency, it is not done routinely.

There are a number of risks that are associated with these operations. One of them is the fact that the pouch may stretch causing the size stomach to increase in size. In some cases, it has even regained its original size. The band may get eroded and disintegrate with time. There have been incidences where leakage of stomach acids have caused damaged to other organs.

Dumping syndrome is a collection of symptoms that may be experienced by persons that have undergone the bypass procedure. Within 10 to 30 minutes of eating, there is a sudden onset of nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort and at times, fainting. This syndrome is likely to be encountered when one eats sugary foods or sweets and is caused by the rapid movement of eaten foods through the stomach into the small intestines.




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