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Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

Reclaim your life with a Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass at United Regional SolutionsGastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which consequently reduces how much you eat and, thus, reduces the calories you consume. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This leads to weight loss.

The Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass:

  • is considered a combination procedure
  • is the most frequently performed bariatric procedure in the US
  • was first performed in 1967
  • has been performed laparoscopically since 1993
  • typically produces 50% EBW loss by the 14-year follow-up
  • produces excellent long-term sustained weight loss
  • results in few vitamin or mineral deficiencies
  • is technically more difficult than restrictive procedures

According to two organizations, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and the National Institutes of Health, Roux-en-Y (pronounced ROO-en-why) gastric bypass surgery is the most popular bariatric surgery in the United States.

In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small stomach pouch and then constructs a "bypass" for food. The bypass allows food to skip parts of the small intestine. When food skips a large part of the small intestine, the body cannot absorb as many of its calories or nutrients.

Advantages of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

  • Of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, 83.7% of cases are resolved.
  • Studies always include a control group; the control group that doesn't have bariatric surgery is at a 3.7 times higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
  • Gastric bypass surgery successfully resolves more people's type 2 diabetes than restrictive procedures alone.
  • Resolution of type 2 diabetes often occurs within days of the surgery.
  • Of patients suffering from hyperlipidemia, 96.9% of cases are resolved.
  • Of patients suffering from hypertension, 75.4% of cases are resolved; 87.1% are resolved or improved.
  • Substantial weight reduction occurs following the procedure; 61.6% of excess weight is lost.
  • In 2000, a study of 500 patients showed that 96% of co-morbidities (back pain, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and depression) were improved or resolved.
  • The average weight loss after a gastric bypass procedure is generally higher than with a purely restrictive procedure.
  • As with every type of bariatric surgery, the overall quality of life for patients improves dramatically. A great deal of excess weight is lost, and patients experience a resolution of co-morbidities and improved appearance, social opportunities, and economic opportunities.

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