Gastric Bypass - The Advantages of Laparoscopic Surgery

by Donald Saunders

Gastric bypass surgery is the most commonly carried out operation for weight loss in the US with around 140,000 surgeries being carried out each year Undertaken for more than 50 years, hundreds of surgeons have grown up with gastric bypass surgery and have a very good understanding of both its risks and benefits.

For many gastric bypass surgery is the final option when other types of dieting and weight loss have been unsuccessful and where you are greatly overweight. This commonly means that you have a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40, or greater than 35 with an accompanying condition that increases the risk of premature death or disability. Those conditions would include liver disease, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension among others. In its simplest form, this translates into being approximately 100 pounds more than your ideal weight.

The rationale behind gastric bypass surgery is quite simply to bring down the size of the stomach and bypass the larger portion of the stomach, along with part of the intestine, restricting your ability to eat too much food and also reducing the body's absorption of the food that is eaten.

Although open gastric bypass procedures are still frequently performed an increasing number of surgeons are moving to the laparoscopic approach and, though this requires considerable training and expertise on the surgeon's part, there are various advantages to this approach. Amongst these are:

1. As only a few (commonly 5) tiny incisions during this form of procedure the time that it takes to heal after surgery is vastly reduced, as is the chance of infection and of the complications of a subsequent hernia.

2. There is very much less post-operative pain and the little pain that is present needs only mild painkillers such as paracetamol and codeine.

3. This type of surgery allows you to return to work in a reasonably short timescale, commonly as little as one week although it is advised that patients do not return to work for some two weeks to be on the safe side.

4. Laparoscopic surgery enables greater precision as the procedure is done under magnification and the surgeon can see details not visible during open surgery.

5. As patients are up and about very quickly there is a lower risk of bed sores, pneumonia, blood clots and other complications generally associated with immobility.

6. As laprascopic surgery is quicker than open surgery the patient spends less time in theatre and needs less anesthesia, producing fewer anesthesia-related complications.

Gastric bypass produces a significant improvement in the quality of life for patients and also has the additional benefit of improving, or in some cases of curing, headache, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis and other disorders.

That the surgery can now be carried out so much more easily and can leave patients quite pain free and have them back on their feet quickly means that an increasing number of people are likely to make use of gastric bypass surgery and enjoy a happier and healthier lifestyle.

For more information on gastric bypass surgery and the laparoscopic gastric bypass technique visit GastricBypassFacts.info today.
Article Source: Health and Fitness