People at highest risk for complications are those with heart or lung problems, severe obesity, and a history of abdominal surgeries. The mortality rate from bariatric surgeries is 0.2%, which is lower than the morality rates from severe obesity itself.
Specific Complications of Restrictive Banding Procedures. Nausea, vomiting, or both occurs in half of patients, and severe heartburn occurs in a third. Device-related complications include band slippage, pouch dilation (widening), or both in nearly a quarter of patients, and obstruction in 12% of patients. Very serious complications are rare, but they can include blood clots, bleeding, infection, pneumonia, and perforation (tearing) of the stomach.
Specific Complications of Malabsorptive Bypass Procedures. Vomiting often occurs. Nutritional deficiencies occur more often in these procedures.
Care after Bariatric Procedures
Most people stay in the hospital for a few days after gastric bypass surgery. Patients are discharged when they can:
- Eat liquid or pureed food without vomiting.
- Move without too much discomfort.
- No longer need pain medication given by injection.
Patients continue to eat a liquid or soft diet for several weeks after the surgery. In patients receiving a pouch procedure, the pouch eventually expands to about one cup of chewed food (a normal stomach can hold up to one quart).
Follow-up appointments are essential to determine if nutritional supplements, such as iron, calcium, vitamin B12, or other nutrients, are needed. Supplements, such as a multivitamin with minerals, may be prescribed.
Patients should eat small meals (usually six) throughout the day, rather than large meals that the stomach can no longer handle.
The new stomach probably won't be able to handle both solid food and fluids at the same time. Patients should separate fluid and food intake by at least 30 minutes and only sip what they are drinking.
After surgery, tolerance of fat, alcohol, or sugar decreases. Patients should reduce their fat intake, especially:
Previous Section
Review Date: 04/14/2010
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz.
Previously reviewed by Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician,
Massachusetts General Hospital (4/14/2010).
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
