Gastric Bypass Surgery | Denver Center for Bariatric Surgery

Gastric Bypass

About the procedure

Gastric bypass surgery, also called Roux-en-Y (pronounced: “rue-en-why”) gastric bypass, is a weight-loss procedure that involves creating a small pouch from the upper-most stomach and connecting the newly formed pouch directly to the small intestine, allowing food to bypass the majority of the stomach and the first portion of the small intestine. As a result, food bypasses your duodenum, meaning you absorb less of what you eat, and are full with much less.

Gastric bypass surgery may be the ideal choice for you if you have a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35+ with comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, or other serious obesity-related health issues.

Superior Results

70lbsGastric bypass median excess weight loss one year post-op

67.9%Gastric bypass: excess weight loss median 1 yr. post-op

2.1 daysAverage length of hospital stay for gastric bypass

How It Works

Gastric bypass is a surgical procedure that aids in weight loss by changing how your stomach and small intestine handle the food you eat. After the surgery, you will find you will feel full with less food because your pouch/new stomach will be much smaller. Because the food you consume will no longer go into some parts of your stomach and small intestine that normally absorb food, your body will not absorb as many calories.

You will go under general anesthesia before the surgery. During the surgery, there are two steps that our surgeons follow: the first is the process of making your stomach smaller by dividing your stomach into a small upper section and larger bottom section. The top section, called “the pouch”, is where your food goes and its small size ensures you eat less. The second step is the bypass where your small intestine is connected to the pouch. The food you eat goes from the pouch into this new small intestine segment. After one to two hours, this life-changing surgery will be complete with a few, small incisions.

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Health Benefits

The benefits of gastric bypass surgery are innumerable. Most notably, you may experience losing up to 70% of your body’s excess weight, as well as complete or partial remission of sleep apnea, acid reflux, heart disease, PCOS, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, lipid disorders, joint pain, and more. You may also experience a tendency toward healthier food choices because of how your smaller stomach responds to sugars, fats and carbs. Gastric bypass surgery will also help you improve your routine daily activities, creating a better quality of life. Most importantly, the surgery almost always results in boosted confidence and self-esteem.

Gastric Bypass Benefits

  • Loss of up to 70% of excess weight
  • Improved cardiovascular health
  • Likelihood of remission of type 2 diabetes and related medical conditions

What Are The Risks?

Like all major surgeries, including weight-loss surgeries, there are possible risks that include blood clots, infections, leaks in your intestinal system, or breathing problems. Gastric bypass surgery carries risks that are similar to any abdominal surgery. But, when done in a Center Of Excellence, such as our practice, the risks are about the same as having your appendix removed. Our safety record is in-line with or exceeds the standards set by the ASMBS in all regards.

As with any weight-loss surgery, we will teach you how to increase your success and safety through our detailed, pre-operative education program.

How Much Will Your Procedure Cost?

We have successfully helped thousands of patients with insurance coverage over the years. Use our insurance checker to see if you qualify for coverage from your insurer or have a look at our competitive self-pay rates.

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What To Expect After Your Procedure

It’s important to get on the same page with your doctor in terms of what you can expect post-surgery. It depends hugely on your weight before surgery but, on average, our patients lose around 67% of their excess weight after gastric bypass surgery. Most people stay in the hospital for two days for recovery.

You can expect to resume normal daily activities around three to five weeks after your surgery. It’s crucial that you prioritize your healing and rest in the early postoperative period.