Gastric Bypass Option

With gastric bypass surgery, a patient is generally looking at an operation that can run upwards of four hours. Most patients who have Gastric Bypass surgery can figure to have a few days in the hospital to recover before being discharged.

In Gastric Bypass the surgeon makes a small pouch at the upper part of the stomach and introduces a bypass around a segment of one’s stomach and small intestine.

The surgeon staples the stomach across the top, separating it off from the remainder of the patient’s stomach. The resulting pouch that is left will generally be the size of a walnut and can host only about an ounce of food. While the pouch is physically sealed off from the remainder of the stomach, the surgeon cuts the small intestine and sews a portion of it directly onto the pouch.

As one can tell, Gastric Bypass is more invasive than lap band surgery, often leading more patients to choose the latter procedure in the battle against weight.