Gastric Bypass Surgery

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RGB)

This is the most common gastric bypass weight loss procedure performed, and involves creating a small pouch in the stomach using staples or vertical banding to restrict food intake. Next, a section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch, which causes food to bypass the duodenum and jejunum (the first and second segments of the intestines). This reduces the absorption of calories and nutrients into your system (mal absorption), thus facilitating weight loss. Doctors say that reversal of this weight loss surgery is possible, but many are reluctant to actually perform a reversal operation because of the high risk.

Extensive Gastric Bypass (Billionaire Diversion or BPD)

This weight loss surgery involves removing entire portions of the stomach. This puts the patient at higher risk for nutritional deficiencies (especially calcium and iron).

Duodenal Switch (DS/BPD)

This procedure involves leaving 2 inches of the duodenum in place for digestion in order to reduce nutritional deficiency and its complications. Patients will still experience more deficiency than they would with an RGB weight loss surgery. Again, reversal of the weight loss procedure is complicated and very risky.

Patients who choose gastric bypass weight loss surgery often lose two-thirds of their excess weight within two years. The risks for this type of weight loss procedure include pouch stretching, band erosion, staple line disruption or breakdown, abdominal hernias, an emergency splenectomy, gallstones (occurs in more than one third of the patients) and nutritional deficiency (especially calcium and iron). Side effects of nutritional deficiency can include anemia, osteoporosis, and metabolic bone disease, which you may be able to avoid by taking vitamin supplements. Patients may require follow-up surgery to correct complications.

The fatality rate from gastric bypass weight loss surgery varies according to the source. The American Society for Bariatric Surgery states that three out of every 1,000 patients will die. Some sources claim that the number is more like one in every 100. Either way, the weight loss procedure is among the most risky surgical procedures performed (markedly more than a hysterectomy, for example).