Gastric bypass surgery for weight loss

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Duong Xuan Loc - Gastroenterologist - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital
Obesity not only causes unsightly but also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer,... For the treatment of obesity, weight loss measures and slimming surgery such as gastric banding, Gastric flap surgery, gastric bypass, ... are being widely applied today. In particular, gastric bypass surgery is showing many outstanding advantages.

1. What is gastric bypass surgery?

Obesity is classified by WHO as the fastest growing disease in the world. It can cause many other diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood fat, leading to kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, blindness, ... or even death. The simplest solution to prevent diseases caused by obesity is to lose weight. However, losing weight by adjusting your diet, exercising, ... is not easy. Therefore, many patients have applied weight loss surgery methods.
Gastric bypass is a surgical procedure that creates a small pouch from the stomach, connecting it to the small intestine. When the patient eats and drinks, the swallowed food will go into the small stomach bag and directly into the small intestine. The purpose of this method is to help you lose weight. This method helps to prolong and stabilize the weight after losing. Patients after gastric bypass often feel full faster and feel fuller longer than usual.
At the same time, this method also reduces the risk of diseases caused by obesity such as: heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol high, stroke, infertility,...

2. Indications and contraindications

Gastric bypass surgery is indicated when diet and exercise do not help or the patient has serious health problems due to being overweight.
However, this method may also be contraindicated in cases such as: patients with a history of drug abuse, patients with a history of severe mental disorders or people with end-stage visceral disease.

3. Gastric bypass surgery procedure

3.1 Preparation For patients eligible for gastric bypass surgery, the medical staff will guide the necessary issues when preparing for surgery, namely:
Before surgery, the patient needs to Tell your doctor about your list of medications, vitamins, supplements, diet, etc. Patients may have to limit their intake of food and take certain medications before surgery; If the patient is taking blood thinners, the doctor should be informed before surgery because these drugs can affect blood clotting and bleeding; Patients with diabetes need to talk carefully with their diabetes doctor for specific instructions on taking medication or adjusting the amount of medication used after surgery; Stop smoking. 3.2 Procedure The patient is under general anesthesia before surgery. Most surgeries will be done laparoscopically, a few are done by open abdominal surgery; The surgeon cuts across the top of the stomach, stitching it apart from the rest of the stomach. The small stomach pouch can only hold a certain amount of food; The doctor cuts the small intestine, stitches a portion of the small intestine directly into the small stomach pouch. Food will go into the small stomach bag, directly into the small intestine. Food will not go into the stomach and the first part of the small intestine, but into the middle part of the small intestine. Gastric bypass surgery usually takes a few hours. Depending on the patient's recovery status, the average hospital stay will be 3-5 days.

3.3 Monitoring and some notes after surgery After surgery, the patient continues to lie in the recovery room for the doctor to monitor for the risk of complications; Immediately after surgery, the patient can eat liquid food, should not eat solid food because the stomach is beginning to heal. After that, the patient will follow a special diet, gradually changing from liquids to pureed foods. Next, the patient can eat soft foods and then gradually move to harder foods; Patients should supplement with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, cut, calcium, ... after surgery; Patients should have regular check-ups for the first few months after weight loss surgery. 3.4 Risk of complications The risks associated with gastric bypass surgery for weight loss include:
Bleeding; Infection; Presence of a blood clot; Anesthesia reaction; Breathing problems; Leakage in the digestive system; Intestinal obstruction, rapid gastric emptying syndrome (dumping syndrome), gastric perforation, gastric ulcer; Other complications: gallstones, malnutrition, hypoglycemia,...

4. Notes on diet after gastric bypass surgery

Eat slowly, chew thoroughly; It is advisable to divide meals in a day; Drink water between meals; Eat plenty of protein-rich food groups; Supplement with vitamins and minerals as recommended by your doctor; Avoid eating foods high in fat and sugar. With gastric bypass surgery, patients can lose weight well, maintain a healthy weight range and improve their overall health effectively. However, to achieve the expected results, the patient needs the support of a nutritionist, with the most appropriate diet and exercise.

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