Gastric bypass surgery (otherwise referred to as bariatric surgery or weight loss surgery) is helping many thousands of morbidly obese individuals to reduce their risk from diabetes and other life-threatening conditions and to regain much of their former lifestyle. Complications from gastric bypass surgery are however significant and need to be taken into consideration before electing surgery.

Numerous studies have been carried out into gastric bypass complication rates in the short-term and these normally follow the progress of patients for up to 30 days after surgery. A more recent study however (examining claims for both hospital and outpatient care for more than 5 million individuals enrolled in employer sponsored health plans covering 49 states and including in excess of 2,500 weight loss patients) has extended the findings of previous studies to look in depth at complications arising up to 6 months after surgery.

According to the study death occurred during, or in the 6 months following, surgery in only 0.2% of patients and the most common complications were dumping syndrome (reflux, vomiting and diarrhea) which happened in 20% of cases, anastomosis problems (such as leakage or stricture arising at the site of the join between the stomach and the intestine) which happened in 12% of cases, abdominal hernias in 7% of cases, infections in 6% of cases and pneumonia which happened in 4% of patients.

The study also found that just over 10% or patients who got through the first 30 days without complication went on to experience a problem in the following 5 months. In the majority of cases these problems were dumping, anastomosis problems, abdominal hernia, and marginal ulcers. In addition, although just under 5% of patients had to be re-admitted during the 30 day period, this figure climbed to a little over 7% when looking at the longer 6 month timeframe.

The cost of gastric bypass surgery was also affected considerably by complications and, while patients experiencing surgery without complication paid an average of just over $25,000, complications within the 6 month post-surgical period pushed this figure up to just over $36,500. In cases where patients had to be re-admitted to hospital because of gastric bypass complications the cost rose to a little over $65,000.

Gastric bypass surgery is very much the start of the weight loss process and, unlike many forms of surgery which cure the problem more or less on the spot, the results of weight loss surgery take time to show. It is not surprising therefore that problems will arise after surgery and gastric bypass complications must be considered carefully before you make the decision to embark on this particular journey.

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Tags: bypass surgery, weight Loss

Have you thought about whether bariatric surgery might be the answer to your weight problem, or to that of a loved one?

Bariatric surgery is more commonly referred to as weight loss or gastric bypass surgery and essentially changes the structure of your stomach, and sometimes your entire digestive system, to limit the amount of food that you can eat and digest.

Although surgery offers a quick and immediate solution to the problem of losing weight, it is far from a simple process and, apart from the fact that not everyone will qualify for surgery, bariatric surgery, even in relatively limited format such as bariatric lap band surgery, is certainly not the best solution for everyone.

The fact that you are overweight, or even obese, is not enough of a reason to qualify you for bariatric surgery and you will certainly be required to start out by trying a healthy and balanced diet combined with a structured exercise program before you will be considered for any form of weight loss surgery.

So, assuming that you have tried traditional diet and exercise without success, how do you qualify for surgery? You may be considered a suitable candidate for bariatric surgery if you are not simply quite a bit overweight but are severely or morbidly obese. This usually means that you have a Body Mass Index, or BMI, in excess of 40 or between 35 and 40 and have one or more related health problems (often referred to as co-morbid conditions) such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Body Mass Index is calculated based upon a person’s height and weight and, in very general terms, a BMI of 40 means that you will be at least 100 pounds overweight if you are a man and 60 pounds overweight if you are a woman.

Assuming that you qualify as a suitable candidate, the next thing that you need to consider is the fact that bariatric surgery, even in minimally invasive forms like bariatric lap band surgery, carries risks and will also result in the need for considerable changes to your lifestyle, which can be very psychologically challenging.

The implications of undergoing surgery need to be fully researched and understood before any decision to undergo bariatric surgery is taken and the starting point of course should be to discuss the possibility with your doctor.

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Tags: bypass surgery, diet, weight Loss

Bariatric surgery is gaining popularity as a method for reducing weight. However, people have many apprehensions about this surgery. These people seek the help of bariatric surgery support groups. Persons who are about to undergo bariatric surgery can discuss their personal and dietary issues with these support groups.

Many hospitals have their own bariatric surgery support groups. These support groups provide a forum for people who have undergone bariatric surgery or are considering it. They educate people on the surgery, provide guidelines regarding dietary controls and exercise, and review the preparation and recovery processes associated with the surgery. The support group meetings are usually organized weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. Expert surgeons participate in these meetings, and they give presentations on the surgery and complications that can arise. Such presentations clear any misgivings and fears regarding bariatric surgery and its side effects. These meetings additionally feature seminars on related topics such as obesity, treatment options, and risks and benefits of the surgery.

A lot of psychological and physical preparation is needed prior to bariatric surgery. Hospitals organize special pre-surgery counseling sessions for obese persons. This counseling includes briefing about health goals, dietary requirements, exercise options, and the role family members can play in supporting the person. Following surgery, counseling services provided by bariatric surgery support groups play a key role in bringing the person back to normalcy. The healing period associated with bariatric surgery is typically six weeks.

Bariatric surgery involves changes in the digestive tract, and eating habits have to be changed temporarily. Bariatric surgery support groups organize special counseling for giving additional information on the dietary patterns to be followed. They also hold special sessions on psychological and physical adjustments that have to be made following the surgery. A major problem faced after the surgery is nutritional deficiency that can occur owing to a lower intake of food.

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Tags: bypass surgery, diet, obesity

Not surprisingly anybody contemplating gastric bypass surgery does not simply want to know what the risks of surgery are, but also wants to know what their chances are of encountering these risks. The general answer that most patients receive is that they run about a 40 percent chance of running into complications either during surgery or in the months immediately following their operation. But just how accurate is this figure?

Well, according to a recently released report it is pretty accurate. In a study of more than 2,500 insurance claims submitted by gastric bypass patients who underwent surgery during 2001 and 2002 it was found that just over 20 percent of patients encountered complications during surgery and this figure rose to 40 percent when looking at claims covering a period of up to six months following surgery.

However, is this really an accurate reflection of what patients can expect today?

In looking at the results of this study you have to start by considering the complications which the study took into account in its findings. These included such things as leakage and strictures arising directly from surgery as well as dumping syndrome, vomiting, reflux and diarrhea in the post-operative period.

The four post-operative complications noted here accounted for nearly half of all the complications seen and, in the vast majority of cases, were minor, transitory and did not require medical treatment. In other words, they were nothing more than the normal and expected result of weight loss surgery and might be compared to the risk of encountering a stiff and sore arm after a vaccination.

In addition, you have to consider the timeframe for the collection of the data used in this study. In 2001 and 2002 when the study data was collected many hospitals and surgical centers were only just beginning to perform weight loss operations and there were few, if any, agreed standards. Most of the surgery conducted was also open surgery and this form of surgery lent itself to complications such as leakage and strictures.

Today, the number of weight loss surgeries being performed has increased dramatically and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries have come very much into vogue, as has gastric banding and such procedures as adjustable laparoscopic gastric banding, which was only approved for use in the USA in 2001. These procedures do of course themselves carry risks, but these are quite different both in nature and frequency to those seen in open surgery.

Currently about 60 percent of all weight loss surgery is carried out laparoscopically and this figure is likely to rise rapidly within the next two or three years to over 90 percent.

So what is the true figure for the risk of gastric bypass surgery today? Well, we don’t really know because no current figures at presently available. What we can say however is that it is certainly a lot lower than the 40 percent figure which is frequently quoted.

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Tags: bypass surgery, obesity, weight Loss