Gastric Bypass Surgery (Roux-en-Y)
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RNY) surgery is a restrictive and malabsorptive procedure. The stomach is resected like a gastric sleeve, and the small intestine, where the nutrients are absorbed, is bypassed. Making the stomach smaller helps our patients eat less (feel satisfied with less food). And connecting the stomach to the lower part of the intestine decreases the absorption of food.
The gastric bypass procedure is a game-changer for people who are clinically diagnosed as obese, as the first surgery or a revision of a previously unsuccessful surgery. The operation is performed minimally invasively, with a low risk of complications when carried out by an experienced, skilled surgical team working with a reputable company such as Mexico Bariatric Centre®.
How Gastric Bypass Surgery Works
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RNY) is the most common bariatric surgery performed in the United States. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is often used to help patients achieve initial weight loss and for long-term weight control. Dr. Miguel Zapata has the expertise and experience to perform the gastric bypass and mini-bypass.
Losing Weight with Gastric Bypass
The human body’s normal digestive process involves food moving through the digestive tract and combining it with enzymes and digestive juices, which help the body digest food and absorb nutrients and calories.
The average human stomach can hold about 3 pints of food at a time, and any excess is released slowly into the small intestine. Once in the small intestine, the body continues to absorb vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. It can take several hours for the stomach to empty into the small intestine.
Gastric Bypass Surgical Steps
The RNY surgery can be performed through a large abdominal incision (open surgery) or, more commonly, via laparoscopy, which uses small incisions, a camera, and specialized instruments. The process involves two primary mechanisms:
- Restriction: Surgeons use staples or a plastic band to create a small pouch at the top of the stomach. This significantly limits the amount of food a person can consume before feeling full.
- Malabsorption: This “pouch” is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine (the jejunum), bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper section of the small intestine. This prevents the body from absorbing every calorie and nutrient consumed.
Do I Qualify for RNY Gastric Bypass?
To qualify for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, most patients must meet certain requirements. The typical criteria include:
- A patient’s body mass index should generally be 40 or over, or they need to have a disabling or life-threatening condition caused by excessive weight.
- Most physicians prefer to try other types of weight loss/reduction programs first and will use a gastric bypass as an alternative when other methods do not work.
- Patients should have been obese for 5 years or more and be between the ages of 18 and 65.
- Patients should also not have medical histories containing incidents of depression, psychiatric disorders, or alcoholism.
Gastric Bypass starts at $5,295
Pros and Cons
As with all surgical procedures and weight-loss solutions, there are advantages and disadvantages for patients, and not all individuals will be good candidates for all weight-loss procedures, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
Most patients who do not experience significant surgical complications initially lose weight quickly and continue to lose pounds rapidly for up to a year. However, diet and exercise need to be considered for successful ongoing weight loss after surgery is completed.
– Advantages of Gastric Bypass
Compared with other types of weight-loss surgery, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is excellent for overall weight loss and long-term weight control in patients. It has also been proven to be effective in eliminating co-morbidities, such as Type 2 diabetes.
This surgical procedure also has low complication rates in both the early and late postoperative periods, as well as a very low (less than 1%) mortality rate among patients undergoing the procedure.
– Disadvantages of Gastric Bypass
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks during the surgery and afterward during recovery. Surgical risks include those associated with undergoing anesthesia and allergic reactions to medicines. The complications stemming from the surgery itself include leaks, distension of the stomach, hernias, and severe dumping syndrome symptoms.
Severe dumping syndrome is a direct result of gastric surgeries. Multiple symptoms may occur, ranging from mild to severe. They are caused by having the undigested contents of your stomach dumped into your small intestine too quickly, causing nausea and abdominal cramping.
Some patients will experience symptoms immediately after eating, while others will not have symptoms for several hours after eating. In most cases, medical intervention is not necessary for treating dumping syndrome symptoms, but more severe cases may require medication or additional surgery.
Another disadvantage of Roux-En-Y gastric bypass surgery is that the procedure itself is often more challenging than other types of restrictive bypass procedures. However, individual patients’ health and medical histories must be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Results and Impact
Because the stomach’s capacity is reduced and the digestive path is shortened, patients consume far fewer calories and feel satiated much faster. This combination of eating less and absorbing fewer nutrients typically leads to rapid, noticeable weight loss shortly after the procedure.