What are the Risks Associated with Gastric Bypass Surgery?
All operations carry some risks, and this is particularly true for the morbidly obese patient. Obesity surgery is a relatively safe procedure in the hands of an experienced bariatric surgeon. The mortality rate is about 0.5 – 1%. It is noteworthy that this is the same as the rate for ANY surgical procedure in the morbidly obese patient, suggesting that it is the underlying disease, rather than the procedure, which is the true culprit. The risk of serious complications (heart attack, anastomotic leaks, pulmonary embolism, etc) occurs in 1% of patients. Wound infections and bowel obstructions occur in about 2% of patients, while hernias, ulcers, adhesions gallstones, vitamin deficiencies and other mild complications occur in somewhere between 10 and 20% of all patients.
