GASTRIC BYPASS PROCEDURE

WHAT IS GASTRIC BYPASS?

Gastric bypass surgery, a common method in bariatric surgery, is a mixed procedure which is restrictive and leads to malabsorption.

Gastric Bypass procedure involves reducing the stomach into a small pouch and making a connection from a segment of the small intestine up to the reduced stomach.

The rest of the stomach is not removed as in sleeve gastrectomy procedure.

However, there is no entry of food to the remaining part of the stomach either.

Gastric juices and enzymes continue to be released from the remaining part of the stomach for digestion and absorption of food.

This way, gastric bypass enables weight loss both because the patients eat less due to a smaller stomach and less calorie intake, and because the absorption of high-calorie nutrients is reduced due the direct connection from the reduced stomach to the small intestine.

Gastric bypass is performed laparoscopically, so there is no deep incision on the skin and therefore no pain relevant to the surgery.

ELIGIBLE PATIENTS FOR GASTRIC BYPASS?

• Gastric bypass surgery can be administered to patients between ages of 18-65, with a BMI over 40 kg/m2 and a history of many diets, who have excess weight that threaten their health, and
• to patients with a BMI of 35-40 kg/m2 and have complaints such as weight-related insulin resistance, sleep apnoea, heart diseases, or joint disorders.
• It is administered as a revision procedure on patients who had sleeve gastrectomy and then regained weight.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF GASTRIC BYPASS?

• In the gastric bypass procedure, food intake is limited as the size of the stomach is reduced and nutrient intake (especially fat and sugar) is reduced because the small intestine is divided. This way, the weight loss process accelerates.
• After gastric bypass, as the size of the stomach is reduced, patients easily feel full although they eat very little.
• Risk of joint disorders, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart diseases and especially diabetes due to excess weight is reduced.
• Patients can experience a feeling of fullness for a long time, as the point where the new stomach is connected to the intestine during gastric bypass is narrower than normal.