This surgery has a number of names: weight loss surgery, obesity surgery, bariatric
surgery, stomach stapling, and gastric restrictive surgery. The medical name
for the surgery we perform in this program is Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass. It reduces
the size of a patient's stomach to help the patient succeed at long-term weight
loss.
During the procedure, the stomach will be stapled and then divided, making two
different sections: the new stomach pouch and the bypassed stomach. Part of
the patient's small intestine will be separated and attached to the stomach
pouch so that food will go right into the small intestine after it goes through
the stomach pouch. The bypassed stomach will then be sewn closed, but will continue
to produce acid and digestive juices. Because the small intestine is separated
with part of it attached to the new stomach pouch, it will look like a "Y".
This is how the surgery gets the "Y" in its name.
The gastric bypass surgery done at the Unity Hospital Bariatric and Weight Loss Center is a divided vertical
Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass and has a stomach pouch of one ounce or less. The opening
from the stomach pouch into the intestine is between one and 1.8 centimeters
in diameter, and the length of the bypassed limb is approximately 100 centimeters
(39.5 inches).
This operation decreases the amount of food and liquid a patient's stomach pouch
can hold at one time. As a result, the patient's hunger is satisfied more quickly.
Nausea and discomfort may result if a patient tries to eat too much or too quickly.
This surgery does carry risks. Possible complications include infection, bleeding, hernia, ulcers,
clogging, and vitamin
B12, calcium
and iron
deficiency. The risks are about the same as for any other abdominal surgery.
Fatal complications are rare - less than 0.5 percent.
A low
fat, low sugar, low calorie diet, and routine
exercise will help a patient make this surgery a success.
Unity Hospital Bariatric and Weight Loss Center
Unity Professional Building, Suite 200
500 Osborne Road NE
Fridley, MN 55432
763-236-2045
Source: Newsletter, Obesity Surgery, Volume 11, Number 1, February 2001
First published: 09/01/2004
Last updated: 02/23/2006
Reviewed by: Janet Rudlong, RN, program manager, Bariatric Center, Mercy &
Unity Hospitals
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