Sunday, April 24, 2016

Important Facts On Gastric Bypass Surgery

By Brian Anderson


Bariatric operations are types of surgeries that help in weight loss. The idea is to reduce the food that can be held by the stomach at a given point in time (which reduces food intake) or to reduce the absorption of both. Some modalities achieve their results through both mechanisms. Gastric bypass surgery is one of the commonly performed weight loss operations in New York.

Weight-loss surgeries should only be considered after other conservative measures such as lifestyle changes have proved to be ineffective. They are suitable for persons that are at a high risk of developing weight related complications such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and gastro-esophageal reflux disease among others. The candidate should have a body mass index of 40 or more unless they already have complications where the cutoff is lowered to 35.

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 different types of gastric bypass that can be performed. The most common is the Roux-en-Y. This type is very popular since it can be performed through by minimal access hence there are less complications and the recovery time is markedly reduced. It involves two steps. The first is the conversion of the stomach into a small pouch through stapling or vertical banding. The capacity of the stomach is reduced and so is the food intake.

The second step is the attachment of a Y-shaped intestinal portion to the pouch. When food moves from the pouch into this part of the intestines, a significant section of the digestion tract is bypassed (hence the name). This means that there will be less absorption of nutrients and less calories will be produced. Weight loss starts to set in in subsequent weeks and months.

Extensive gastric bypass (also referred to as biliopancreatic diversion) is more radical. While it may be an option for weight loss, its main indication is biliary obstruction due to liver disease. The operation itself involves the removal of the lower stomach and the joining of the upper stomach portion to the last portion of the intestines. The other two portions are skipped. Due to severe nutrient deficiency, the procedure 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 refers to a number of symptoms that are experienced in some patients that have undergone these procedures. It is characterized by nausea, sweating, fainting, weakness and diarrhea. These symptoms occur after ten to thirty minutes following the consumption of food. They are most likely to be experienced when one eats sugary foods or sweets. The underlying cause is the rapid movement of food through the stomach.




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