Updated March 08, 2014.

Who is Gastric Bypass For?

Gastric bypass is one form of bariatric surgery available to the morbidly obese. Patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more are considered morbidly obese. Those with a BMI over 35, who have serious illnesses such as diabetes, sleep apnea, or joint disease may also be candidates for bariatric surgery.
 

How Gastric Bypass Works

First, the stomach is cut to create a very small upper pouch and a larger lower pouch and second, the small intestine is cut.
The more distant portion of the small intestine is connected to the small stomach pouch.

Initially, this pouch holds about an ounce of food, causing a feeling of fullness after consuming a very small amount. In time, the pouch stretches to hold about one cup of food at each meal.

The remaining larger lower stomach pouch, which does not receive food anymore, is sutured to the small intestine and is needed to deliver digestive juices and hormones.

Since food bypasses the majority of the stomach, as well as the upper small intestine, the body absorbs fewer calories from the food.

Gastric bypass decreases appetite and improves metabolism by altering the release of various hormones.

After gastric bypass surgery, patients feel full faster and must eat much less at any given time.

 

Open Surgery vs. Laparoscopic Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is often performed by laparoscope. Laparoscopic procedures consist of multiple small incisions. Five to six incisions are normally used in gastric bypass. An "open" procedure, which is used less often, uses a single, long cut to provide the surgeon access to the abdomen.
In a laparoscopic surgery, a camera is used to view the abdomen via the incisions.

Small instruments are then used to perform the surgery through the multiple access points.

There are benefits to choosing laparoscopic surgery over an open procedure. Laparoscopic procedures lead to fewer wound complications such as risk of infection and patients usually experience less pain following surgery.

Laparoscopy patients are also able to leave the hospital sooner and get moving again more quickly than patients who've had an open procedure.

Some surgeons still perform gastric bypass via open surgery based on preference and their experience level with the particular procedure.

You may wish to talk to multiple surgeons to discuss the pros and cons of each kind of procedure before making any final decisions about your surgery. While it is your personal option to choose between a surgeon who performs open or laparoscopic procedures, there are times when a laparoscopic procedure becomes an open procedure on the table due to complications or difficulties.

 

Eating After Gastric Bypass

You will eat considerably less food after the surgery than you are accustomed to eating now. For some time, you will not consume a normal diet, but eventually, you will be able to eat small amounts of almost any food. While it is possible for the newly-created stomach pouch to stretch some over time, it only holds about an ounce of food.
What you do eat spends less time being digested and being absorbed as calories. It is important to take any nutritional supplements your doctor advises and to choose healthful foods as sometimes nutrients are lost as well. Some gastric bypass patients experience an unpleasant side effect called dumping syndrome, which can usually be alleviated with diet changes.

The small pouch you are left with following gastric bypass makes overeating a thing of the past. If you eat more than the pouch can hold, you will feel pain and discomfort. You may even vomit up what you have eaten.

 

<sub>Sources

Trowers, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP, Eugene. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Gastric bypass. 15 May 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2007.

Hart, M.D., Joseph. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Laparoscopy. 11 August 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2007.</sub>