What is Gastric Bypass Sugery?
Patients who undergo gastric bypass procedure, or Roux-en-Y, will experience an early sense of fullness and reduced desire to eat, allowing them to lose excess weight and reduce the risk of weight-related health issues.
Patients who work with our nutrition, fitness and mental health experts to make lifestyle changes after gastric bypass surgery will see the best results.
- Two years after surgery, weight loss averages 70 percent of excess body weight.
- Studies show that after 10 to 14 years, patients maintain most of their weight loss, on average losing 50 percent of excess body weight.
- A study of 500 patients showed that 96 percent of some health conditions (back pain, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression) improved or resolved.
How Does Gastric Bypass Work?
In most cases, gastric bypass surgery is a laparoscopic - or minimally-invasive - procedure. The surgeon works with instruments and a camera inserted through small incisions in the abdomen.
Gastric Bypass surgery does two things:
- It uses staples to create a small stomach pouch that holds just under an ounce. A smaller stomach means you feel full faster.
- It connects this stomach pouch to the middle of the small intestine, just past the duodenum. Bypassing a portion of the small intestine reduces how much food your body absorbs.
The procedure does not remove the remainder of your stomach, which is stapled shut inside of you. The other end of your small intestine is connected to the Roux limb, creating the "Y" shape that gives this surgery its name.
How Much Does Gastric Bypass Cost?
The cost of the procedure depends on multiple factors. In some cases, a gastric bypass can be covered or partially covered by your health care insurance. To learn more, speak with our bariatric staff or learn about your health care coverage.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)
The Roux-en-Y has been performed more than 50 years and is one of the most common weight loss procedures. It is both restrictive and malabsorptive. The Roux-en-Y is a laparoscopic or minimally invasive procedure. The surgeon works with instruments and a camera inserted through small incisions in the abdomen.
Roux-en-Y: How Does It Work?
The procedure uses staples to create a small stomach pouch that holds just under an ounce that allows you to feel full faster. The larger portion of the stomach is bypassed and no longer stores or digests food. It then connects this stomach pouch to the middle of the small intestine. Bypassing a portion of the small intestine reduces how much food your body absorbs.
Roux-en-Y: What Are the Advantages?
- Procedure with a long track record
- Very effective in the treatment of type II diabetes
- Very effective in helping with reflux
- Average percent excess weight loss is 50-60%
Roux-en-Y: What Are the Disadvantages?
- Ulcers or strictures
- Risk of internal hernias or bowel obstruction
- Kidney Stones
- “Dumping syndrome”, a feeling of sickness after eating or drinking, especially sweets