Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
- Recommended for patients aiming to lose at least 25 percent of their starting weight
- Requires 1-2 days of hospital stay and 3-week recovery period
- Requires patients to follow specific dietary and exercise guidelines
- Allows patients to lose approximately 35 percent of their starting weight within one year
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery uses a combination of restriction and malabsorption to reduce calories. During the procedure, the surgeon makes the stomach smaller and reroutes the small intestine. A new stomach pouch about the size of an egg is created, using only about 5 percent of the existing stomach. The surgeon then attaches a section of the small intestine directly to the pouch, allowing food to bypass a large portion of the small intestine that absorbs calories and nutrients.
The smaller stomach pouch causes patients to feel full sooner and eat less food. At the same time, bypassing a portion of the small intestine means the patient’s body absorbs fewer calories. Gastric bypass procedures are potentially reversible, although this is not usually performed.
- Gastric bypass takes an average of 75 minutes to complete
- It requires 1-2 days of hospital stay and a 3-week recovery period
- Patients typically lose about 35 percent of their initial weight in the first year after surgery
- Patients must follow specific dietary and exercise guidelines provided by the bariatric team
- Required diet changes focus on increasing protein intake, and taking a daily multivitamin supplement with iron and calcium
Potential complications of gastric bypass include blood clots, infection, leakage (when digestive fluids go into the abdominal cavity or surrounding areas) and a condition known as “dumping syndrome,” which can occur from eating high fat, high-sugar foods. In some cases, dumping can cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, sweating, faintness and diarrhea. The chance of a significant complication early after gastric bypass is less than 5 percent.
