Gastric Bypass FAQs

Gastric bypass is a type of weight loss surgery in which a small portion of the stomach is detached from the rest of the stomach and reconnected to part of the small intestines below completely bypassing the first one third of the small intestines. This limits the amount of food the reduced portion of the stomach can hold causing the patient to feel fuller faster thereby eating less food at meal time. Because part of the small intestines is bypassed, this also reduces how many calories the body can absorb leading to more weight loss. It is used as a supplemental weight loss procedure in conjunction with lifestyle changes that can lead to long term weight loss.

Yes, gastric bypass is a minimally invasive abdominal surgery. It Is typically performed laparoscopically using the robot through several small abdominal incisions.

On average a patient will lose 80% of the excess weight that they are carrying.

The qualifications vary depending on your surgeon, but the following may disqualify you from gastric bypass:

• Active tobacco use and/or drug and alcohol addiction
• Active pregnancy
• Psychological issues not well managed with medication
• Active suicidal ideation
• Active cancer
• CPAP noncompliance
• Patients unwilling to make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to be successful

Technically, yes, gastric bypass is reversible. However, it is very rare and the surgery is complex. It is typically reserved for patients suffering from severe malabsorption.

Bariatric surgery takes about one and a half hours.