What are the main risks of surgery after gastric bypass?
Put simply the main risks are death and complications. Mortality risk reported across the US is 0.5% or 1 patient in every 200. By recent count our mortality risk is less than one patient in every 500 gastric bypasses. The commonest causes for death are pulmonary emboli and infections. The commonest complications are wound infections, strictures, and hernias. The risks after adjustable band surgery and after gastric bypass are different (see Information Seminar). The major problems that occur with any frequency after gastric bypass are 1) leakage from the bowel connection to the pouch, 2) pulmonary emboli, 3) bowel obstruction or kinking, 4) bleeding, 5) stricture. The major problems after an adjustable band are 1) erosion, 2) slippage or herniation of the stomach up through the band, 3) pulmonary emboli, 4) esophageal dilatation.
