Gastric Bypass

Gastric Bypass Surgery

The gastric bypass is a surgical operation that results in enhanced satiety after a small meal. There is a marked reduction in the size of the stomach to a small stomach pouch. None of the stomach is actually removed. The food then passes through the intestine, but the lower part of the intestine is in contact with food much earlier than usual, because as the initial half meter of the intestine has been bypassed.

A side effect of the gastric bypass operation is what is called ‘dumping’, which gives you a light-headed feeling, nausea and occasionally diarrhoea. This happens in response to overeating very sweet foods such as chocolate.

The gastric bypass operation is generally suitable for all patients and achieves excellent results. It is starting to become a surgical ‘treatment of choice’.

Who is it suitable for?

Those who need help with portion control, due to the fact that the small pouch stops you from over-eating. Excessive eating will lead to central abdominal pain and vomiting
It is ideal for people with a ‘sweet tooth’ who like cakes, sweets, chocolates, etc due to the presence of dumping syndrome
It also benefits those who have previously enjoyed a higher fat diet as their ability to digest fat will be impaired, and excessive fat intake will produce loose, offensive stools

What are the advantages?

Up to 96% of patients can see a cure or improvement in their Diabetes
Up to 90% of patients can see a cure or improvement in their Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Up to 80% of patients can see a cure or improvement in their Sleep Apnoea
Patients can experience markedly reduced pain due to any Osteoarthritis
Patients often see an improvement in their Gastric Reflux symptoms
Some patients see an improvement in their fertility
Patients often experience significant weight loss, eg: 65-70% of the amount they are overweight. They can maintain an average of 65-70% weight loss at 5 years after surgery
Patients can experience rapid weight loss, often achieving most of the weight loss within the first year
The small gastric pouch forces patients to change what and how they eat
Dumping syndrome helps patients ‘control’ eating foods high in sugar or fat

What are the drawbacks?

Due to the fact that the stomach is divided and the small intestines are diverted, leakages can sometimes occur, usually in the first 1-2 days after surgery
Scar tissue can occasionally occur later around the area where the intestine is joined to the stomach, possibly leading to obstruction and the need for urgent surgery
Ulcers can rarely occur at the stomach/intestine junction
Some patients experience worse wind (flatulence) than before surgery, although some medicines can help with this
Weight can be regained if dietary advice and exercise regimes are not followed
Patients can experience more regular bowel movements
There is a need for life-long nutritional supplements due to the risk of nutritional deficiencies because of reduced absorption of some vitamins and minerals
You may experience dumping syndrome if you eat something too high in sugar or fat
Reversal surgery is possible but can be tricky and few surgeons can perform it at present

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BMI calculator

The body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measurement which compares a person's weight and height. Though it does not actually measure the percentage of body fat, it may be a useful tool to estimate a healthy body weight based on how tall a person is. Due to its ease of measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool to identify weight problems within a population, usually whether individuals are underweight, overweight or obese. Body mass index is defined as the individual's body weight divided by the square of his or her height. The formulae universally used in medicine produce a unit of measure of kg/m2. BMI can also be determined using a BMI chart, which displays BMI as a function of weight (horizontal axis) and height (vertical axis) using contour lines for different values of BMI or colours for different BMI categories.

Gastric Band

A laparoscopic adjustable gastric band also known as a Lap-Band, is an inflatable silicone device that is placed around the top portion of the stomach, via laparoscopic surgery, in order to treat obesity. Adjustable gastric band surgery is an example of bariatric surgery designed for obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater—or between 35–40 in cases of patients with certain co-morbidities that are known to improve with weight loss, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, osteoarthritis, GERD, Hypertension (high blood pressure), or metabolic syndrome, among others.

Gastric Band Surgery

This involves the placement of an adjustable gastric band (made from silicone) that is placed around the upper part of the stomach. It creates a new smaller stomach pouch, with a small opening that leads to the larger part of the stomach below the band. Food pools in the small stomach pouch and creates a feeling of fullness.

The gastric band creates an opening between the smaller and larger stomach. The size of the opening controls the flow rate of food from the two areas. This means the band can be adjusted. To change the size of the opening, the inner surface of the band can be inflated with saline via a port. This is called a fill.

An ideal fill is tight enough to allow a reduction in hunger, increased fullness and cause steady weight loss whilst allowing adequate amounts of food to pass through the band to meet your baseline nutritional needs. People usually require several fills as the band needs very fine tuning to obtain optimum restriction.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

The gastric bypass operation is generally suitable for all patients and achieves excellent results. It is starting to become a surgical ‘treatment of choice’.

Obesity surgery

Obesity surgery, is performed on the stomach and intestine of people who are dangerously obese, for the purpose of losing weight. The two most common procedures are the Roux-en-Y or Gastric Bypass, which closes off a portion of the stomach and bypasses part of the intestine; and gastric banding, which places a band around the stomach. In long-term studies, the procedures cause a significant long-term loss of weight, recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, and a reduction in mortality of 23% to 40%.

Weight loss clinics

Vita Weight Management Clinics are designed to offer the best possible environment to cater for the sensitive needs of those people who are experiencing weight issues. We will be developing clinics in other locations (both NHS and private). If you want to see if we're locating a clinic in your region contact us for further information.
Current clinics:

Birmingham weight management clinic
London weight management clinic
Manchester weight management clinic
Belfast weight management clinic
Ballykelly weight management clinic

Weight loss surgery

Weight loss surgery, is performed on the stomach and intestine of people who are dangerously obese, for the purpose of losing weight.
The two most common procedures are the Roux-en-Y or Gastric Bypass, which closes off a portion of the stomach and bypasses part of the intestine; and gastric banding, which places a band around the stomach. In long-term studies, the procedures cause a significant long-term loss of weight, recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, and a reduction in mortality of 23% to 40%.