Gastric Bypass Reference Guide

Gastric bypass surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is a weight loss surgery in which a surgeon makes the patient’s stomach smaller and allows food to bypass a portion of the small intestine. As a result, those who have undergone gastric bypass surgery feel full more quickly, reducing the amount of food intake. Bypassing part of the small intestine also results in reduced calorie absorption, leading to a greater chance of weight loss.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the most common gastric bypass surgery performed today. During the normal digestion process, food passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine where nutrients and calories are absorbed. Then, the food passes into the large intestine and any remaining waste is finally excreted. A Roux-en-Y gastric bypass makes the stomach smaller by creating a small pouch at the top. That pouch is connected midway through the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach and a portion of the small intestine.

Obesity among Americans continues to rise. Currently 11-15 million Americans are considered morbidly obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity may soon become the leading cause of death in the United States. As a result, weight reduction surgeries like gastric bypass show that demand for weight loss surgery is soaring. In 2002, the number of gastric bypass procedures jumped 40%, to 80,000. In 2003, the number of surgeries exceeded 120,000. The numbers continue to rise today.

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