Center for Bariatric Surgery
Surgical Options
Open Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
The Center for Bariatric Surgery features
several surgical weight loss options.
The surgical procedure that each patient will undergo
is carefully determined through a one-on-one consultation
with the surgeon. This determination is based on specific
health and safety criteria, including body mass index
(BMI), associated medical conditions, prior history
of abdominal surgery and other variables that determine
the best outcome for each individual patient.
Open Gastric Bypass Surgery
The open surgical method of the Roux-en-Y gastric
bypass is performed through a six- to eight-inch incision
that extends from the end of the breastbone to just
above the naval. The open method of gastric bypass surgery
features:
- Surgery always performed by
two experienced bariatric surgeons.
- Average hospital stay of
three days.
- Average recovery time between
three to six weeks, depending on the physical
requirements of the patient's job.
- Operating and anesthesia time
of 75 to 90 minutes.
- During surgery, the bypassed stomach is marked
with a metal suture, referred to as the metal ring
Gastropexy, and anchored to the abdominal wall. The
Gastropexy can be detected with X-ray equipment and
the bypassed stomach easily accessed, if required
to test or treat certain medical conditions in the
future.
At the time of the patient consultation, the appropriate
surgical weight loss procedure will be chosen based
upon established program criteria.
Overview of the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Procedure
Whether using the open or laparoscopic technique, the
first part of the Roux-en-Y
gastric bypass procedure involves creating a small
stomach pouch. The surgeon begins by dividing the stomach
in two unequal parts, creating a small upper section
and a larger bottom section. The small upper section
has a one-half ounce capacity. After the surgery, this
pouch will be the only part of the stomach to receive
food. The remainder of the stomach will be bypassed
in the digestive process.
With the stomach divided, a segment of small intestine,
known as the Roux Loop, is brought from the lower abdomen
and joined with the small stomach pouch. When joining
the Roux Loop to the stomach pouch, surgeons create
a half-inch opening, referred to as the "stoma."
The suture line of the stoma is inverted to reduce the
possibility of leakage. This feature is routinely performed
by the Center for Bariatric Surgery.
During the next part of the procedure, the bypassed
portion of the stomach and a portion of the intestinal
tract, known as the duodenum, are reconnected to the
Roux Loop at a point located 100 centimeters from the
stoma. This point of bowel reconnection is referred
to as the "entero-enterostomy." The remainder
of the intestinal tract is not disturbed.
Although the bypassed stomach is unable to receive
food following surgery, it remains intact and still
performs an important function in the digestive process.
The food passes through the newly created stomach pouch,
while the bypassed stomach continues to secrete stomach
juices flowing through the intestinal tract. These digestive
juices, along with those from the pancreas and liver,
join with food at the entero-enterostomy to begin the
digestive process.