What kind of complications can happen with surgery for GERD?
The primary potential complications of surgery for GERD include injury to those organs involved in the procedure- i.e., the esophagus and stomach. Risk of damage to or bleeding from the spleen is also present and also a very low incidence. Risks common to all operations, including anesthesia and infection, are present and very low. Decision by the surgeon to convert from a laparoscopic to an open, large incision operation is a small risk, but should be considered a judgment call rather than a complication. Similarly, side effects (rather than complications) of the procedure can include temporary difficulty swallowing, belching or vomiting and abdominal bloating. These issues are almost always self-resolving in 2 weeks to 3 months. Will having a fundoplication help me lose weight? Post prandial early satiety (“feeling full” quicker) is not uncommon, but usually resolves in 1-3 months. Stomach capacity is minimally decreased by this operation which is thus not a weight reduction procedur
