Risks of gastric bypass surgery
In principle, the usual risks associated with surgery also apply to gastric bypass surgery: Injury to neighboring structures, such as nerves, vessels or other organs, wound healing disorders and wound infection, and the risks of anesthesia. Since gastric bypass surgery is an intervention on the gastrointestinal tract and the anatomy is altered by means of newly created intestinal connections, there is always the risk that one of the new gastrointestinal connections is not tight (anastomosis insufficiency), which in the worst case can lead to postoperative peritonitis. Furthermore, any intervention on the gastrointestinal tract can subsequently lead to a temporary paralysis of the intestine.
This can lead to digestive problems and even constipation, which may have to be treated. A dreaded risk is the so-called dumping syndrome: Because only a small residual stomach with a relatively small filling volume remains, the functional collecting reservoir for food is also no longer needed, so that food is “dropped” from the esophagus into the small intestine without first remaining in the stomach and being digested. On the one hand, this can lead to diarrhoea and circulatory problems shortly after eating, and on the other hand, it can also lead to a relative flooding of the body with sugar, so that more insulin is released and hypoglycemia can easily occur.
Duration of the surgery
It is difficult to predict how long a gastric bypass operation will take, as this always depends on many factors. On the one hand, the duration depends on the chosen surgical method, i.e. whether the operation is minimally invasive or open via a larger abdominal incision. On the other hand, the duration also depends on the individual anatomy of the patient and on intraoperative difficulties and complications.
In some cases, the gastric bypass operation may be started laparoscopically, but cannot be completed without complications, so that a change to the open surgical procedure is necessary. In this case, too, the operation time is changed or extended accordingly. On average, however, an operation time of 90-150 minutes can be expected.
It is also not possible to give an exact figure for the length of hospital stay, as this also depends on a number of factors. On average, a 4-6 day hospital stay should be expected. As a rule, patients are admitted to the ward one day before the operation and prepared for the operation.
After the successful completion of the operation, patients are then hospitalized for 3-5 days, during which time the diet and physical mobilization takes place. However, the post-operative length of stay may vary individually, depending on how quickly recovery occurs and whether post-operative complications occur. Also the duration of sick leave after surgery varies individually and depends largely on the type of profession of the respective patient.
It also depends on how extensive the operation was, on intra- and postoperative complications and on individual recovery times. On average, a sick leave of 2-5 weeks can be expected. After this time, a full physical capacity can be assumed, so that one can speak of a complete healing.
It should be no secret that smoking is generally bad for health. But nicotine consumption has a negative effect on the healing of wounds in particular. Smoking should be avoided one or two days before the operation, as this has a positive effect on the safe performance of the general anaesthesia.After the operation, smoking should be avoided if possible until the wound healing (of the inner wounds and the outer skin wounds) is complete.
It is usually possible and advisable to drink fluids very soon after the operation, but not alcohol. Drinking alcoholic beverages should actually be avoided completely after a gastric bypass operation, as their effect is significantly altered by the altered gastrointestinal passage time: By bypassing the stomach and rapidly passing food and fluids into the small intestine, its mucous membrane comes into contact with a lot of alcohol more quickly. The alcohol is therefore absorbed more quickly, the “flooding” of the alcoholic effect occurs more quickly and unfiltered, the liver is also subjected to greater stress and the risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver is greater over time. However, an absolute ban on alcohol does not apply.
