Gastric Bypass 101

By Amy Paturel

The prevalence of obesity has increased more than 60 percent in the past decade. Today more than 30 percent of the U.S. population is considered obese. The result: a rush to surgical offices across the country for weight-loss procedures. In fact, surgical weight-loss procedures were performed on nearly 200,000 Americans in 2005. Read on to learn about the options, risks and success rates.

Inform Yourself
Historically, gastric bypass surgery (think stomach stapling) has been the method of choice in the United States. But now there are other options available with many physicians claiming a newer procedure known as the LAP-BAND® System is safer and just as effective. Who makes the call on which surgical procedure is best? "Ten years ago, surgeons were driving the selection of the procedure," says Santiago Horgan, M.D., professor of surgery and director of minimally invasive surgery at the University of California in San Diego. "Today it's more of a 50/50 approach. We make a joint decision with the patient." If you're considering surgery for weight loss, read about the available options before meeting with your doctor and be sure to bring up all of your questions and concerns so you're an active participant in deciding which procedure is best for you.

Who Is It For?
To partake of any weight-loss procedure, patients must have a body mass index (BMI) over 40 or a BMI over 35 coupled with a weight-related medical condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure. "My patients have to prove to me that they are good candidates for surgery," says Horgan. "They have to show commitment. And they have to meet with a dietitian and psychologist before the procedure."

The Options for Surgical Slim Down:

1. Gastric Bypass Surgery
The most common method in the United States, gastric bypass consists of stapling off a small pouch from the rest of the stomach and connecting it to the small intestine. The result: people can't eat as much because the pouch holds less food and they absorb less of what they do take in because part of the intestine is bypassed. "If the BMI is higher than 60, the patient needs the more aggressive bypass procedure," says Dr. Horgan. Complications range from gas, pain, diarrhea, malnutrition and associated diseases like osteoporosis. And the mortality rate is 0.5 to 2 percent.

Next: Gastric Bypass: More Options