Following a Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
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In more than 30% of the cases, an iron and vitamin B12 deficiency occurs. Almost half of those suffering from an iron deficiency develop anaemia.
- In 5-15% of cases, the connection between the stomach and the intestines narrows. This can lead to nausea and vomiting after eating.
- Also, in a similar number of cases, ulcers develop.
- In some cases, the staples may become loose.
- Gastric bypass surgery may lead to the development of Hernia.
- Hiccups and bloating may result from the enlargement of the bypassed stomach.
People who undergo such surgery are also at risk for:
- The stomach may get bigger over time, stretching back to its pre-surgery size.
- The band closing off part of the stomach may disintegrate.
- The band and staples may fall apart causing the procedure to be reversed.
- The contents of stomach may leak into the abdomen, which is dangerous because the acid can eat away other organs.
- Health problems may result from nutritional deficiencies on account of the surgery.
Some experts have classified the risks in terms of early and late complications in the following manner:
Early Complications:
In about 1-2% cases, the connection between the stomach pouch and the small intestine may start leaking. This is likely to occur in the first few days after surgery and is a serious complication. In order to correct this, another operation is generally required. Most deaths that follow gastric bypass surgery can be attributed to this. This complication occurs more often in the case of those who are extremely obese patients and have a body mass index of more than 60.
In less than 1% of all cases, serious bleeding requiring blood transfusion or re-operation occurs.
The wounds caused by the incisions are likely to get infected in about 5% of the cases, after laparoscopic gastric bypass. These infections are generally easy to treat, because the incisions are small. However, wound infections may occur as often as 15% of the time after open gastric bypass. These infections may require antibiotics and special wound care and can be more difficult to treat.
In less than 1% of the cases, a blood clot may become trapped in a blood vessel to the lungs. This is a serious complication. Usually, such a clot, called a pulmonary embolism, starts deep in the patient’s leg and breaks off into the blood stream. Doctors start the patients on a blood thinner while they are in the hospital and put special stockings on the calves to minimise the chance of this complication.
Sometimes, a rare infection called abdominal abscess might occur inside the patient’s abdomen. This also occurs in less than 1% of the cases. This might require an additional operation to drain the infection or, in some cases, radiologists may drain these infections.
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