What is Gastric Bypass?

A gastric bypass means that you cut the stomach high up so that you separate the stomach in two parts - a small upper part and a large lower part. The upper part is then connected to the small bowel a bit downstream on the small bowel. The larger lower part of the stomach is just left lying idle. It is out of the food circulation and will never again be filled with food. So you end up with a small stomach and a shorter bowel. This means that you will feel full more quickly (because of the small stomach) and that you will absorb less of the food actually eaten (because of the shorter bowel).

Now - the small upper part of the stomach can be connected to the small bowel in a number of different ways: antecolic GE, retrocolic GE, with or without enteroanastomosis (EA), Fobi pouch - and Roux-en-Y. So the name Roux-enY is not a separate operation - it is just a technical descripton for the model for connecting the small stomach to the bowel. All of these (including Roux-en-Y) are gastric bypass operations.

What is bariatric surgery for severe obesity?

Bariatric surgery is an operation that can be done to help you lose weight when other treatments for severe obesity have not worked. The aim of surgery is to change the gastrointestinal (GI) tract so it restricts the amount of food you can eat. It will cause you to feel full more quickly when you eat, which means you will eat less.

Severe obesity is defined as the condition of being more than 100 pounds overweight or having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height. You can find your BMI from a chart. Severe obesity is also sometimes called morbid obesity.

Obesity is a serious condition because it increases your risk of poor health and major illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

Obesity can also affect your relationships, employment, self-esteem and mental health. If you are severely obese, it can be deadly.

Surgery to manage obesity may be considered only after careful weighing of the risks and benefits. The surgery is often risky.