Gastric Bypass Surgery

Medical experts consider gastric bypass surgery to be the most successful bariatric surgery for total weight loss and long-term maintenance. Is also has the lowest risk of complications. Also known as Roux-en-Y, gastric bypass is also the most frequently performed bariatric surgery worldwide.

Gastric bypass restricts the amount of food you can eat and limits the body’s ability to absorb calories. Paired with lifestyle changes, the surgery results in an average weight loss of 60 to 80 percent of excess body weight within one year.

At the University of Maryland Center for Weight Management and Wellness, our surgeon, Dr. Mark Kligman, has more than 15 years of experience in performing gastric bypass surgeries. And our team of weight loss specialists is here to support you both before and after the surgery.

How Gastric Bypass Surgery Works

The procedure bypasses most of the stomach and the upper small intestine, which is where some calories from food are absorbed.

During a gastric bypass, the surgeon creates a small pouch from the top part of the stomach, with the rest of the stomach sealed off. Then the surgeon divides the small intestine and connects the lower end to the newly created small stomach pouch.

Gastric bypass helps weight loss because:

• The small stomach pouch limits the amount of food that you can eat.
• The shorter digestive path from the stomach to small intestine reduces the calories that your body can absorb.
• Rerouting the food stream causes changes in gut hormones to suppress your appetite, control blood sugar and help you feel fuller longer.

Advantages of Gastric Bypass Surgery

In addition to the lowest risk of complications, advantages of gastric bypass include:

• Generally higher average excess weight loss than in patients who have had restrictive surgeries such as sleeve gastrectomy and gastric banding
• Less weight regain, an average of 10 to 13 percent after 10 to 14 years, according to medical studies
• According to a study of 500 patients in 2000, improvement or resolution of 96 percent of the associated health conditions that were studied:
• Back pain
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea
• Type 2 diabetes

Our surgeon performs only minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries. In this approach, a tiny camera and surgical tools are inserted through much smaller incisions than traditional open surgery would require. The advantages of laparoscopic surgery include:

• Less pain and reduced need for pain medication
• Less risk of wound infection
• Quicker recovery and return to daily activities
• Several small incisions rather than a large one
• Shorter hospital stays