Gastric Bypass
Gastric Bypass
Obesity is not just a weight problem, but a chronic condition that affects the entire body. Gastric Bypass is a surgery that helps you lose weight by changing how your stomach and small intestine handle the food you eat.
After surgery, your stomach will be smaller. You will feel full with less food. The food you eat will not enter some parts of your stomach and small intestine that absorb food. For this reason, your body will not get all the calories from the food you eat.
How does Gastric Bypass lead to weight loss?
Gastric Bypass surgery is a type of bariatric surgery. During the Gastric Bypass procedure, Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam, Assistant Professor of General and Laparoscopic Surgery and Consultant in Bariatric Surgery at Kasr El-Ainy Faculty of Medicine, makes changes in the stomach and small intestines to alter the way food is absorbed and digested. So Gastric Bypass surgery helps with weight loss by:
• Restricting the amount of food the stomach can hold.
• Limiting the amount of calories and nutrients the body can absorb by bypassing about a third (2 meters) of the intestines.
Steps of the Gastric Bypass procedure:
Gastric Bypass surgery is the most common bariatric surgery worldwide. During Gastric Bypass surgery, Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam performs the following steps:
1. The first step is to make your stomach smaller. The surgeon uses staples to divide your stomach into a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower section without removing the excluded part of the stomach. The upper part of your stomach (called the pouch or pocket) will receive the food you eat. The pouch can only hold around 28 grams of food, so you will eat less and lose weight.
2. The second step is the bypass. Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam divides the small intestine and attaches its lower end to a small opening in the newly created stomach pouch. The food you eat will now pass from the pouch through this new opening into the lower part of the small intestine, bypassing a portion of the small intestine. As a result, your body will absorb fewer calories.
3. Finally, the upper part of the divided small intestine is connected to the lower part of the small intestine so that the stomach acids and digestive enzymes from the bypassed stomach and the first part of the small intestine can eventually mix with the food.
Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam performs Gastric Bypass surgery laparoscopically, making 4 to 6 small incisions in the abdomen to insert the camera and surgical instruments. The camera is connected to a display screen in the operating room, allowing Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam to see inside the abdomen during the procedure.
Advantages of laparoscopic Gastric Bypass:
• Shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.
• Less pain.
• Smaller scars and lower risk of hernia or infection.
When is the Gastric Bypass procedure performed?
Bariatric surgery is required if you have moderate to high-risk obesity and have been unable to lose excess weight through diet and exercise.
Doctors often use body mass index (BMI) and assess obesity-related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension to identify people who are likely to benefit from bariatric surgery.
Gastric Bypass may be recommended if you have:
• A BMI of 35 or higher: A person with a BMI of 35 or more is at least 36 kg overweight. A normal BMI range is 18.5 to 24.9.
• A BMI between 30 to 34.9 (also called grade I obesity) and a serious medical condition that may improve with weight loss. Some of these conditions include sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty liver disease, and heart disease.
• Obese patients with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), especially when diagnosed endoscopically, as gastric sleeve may not be suitable for such cases.
Key advice before undergoing Gastric Bypass:
The surgeon will require you to undergo tests and consultations with his medical team before the surgery. Some of these include:
• A complete physical examination.
• Blood tests, gallbladder ultrasound, and other tests to ensure you are healthy enough for surgery.
• Ensuring any other medical problems you have, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart or lung problems, are under control.
• Meeting with the nutrition team.
• Providing information to help you understand what happens during the surgery, what to expect afterward, and what risks or problems may occur post-surgery.
• If you smoke, you must quit several weeks before the surgery and not restart after; smoking slows healing and increases complications.
• Knowing the medications, vitamins, herbs, and other supplements you take.
The benefits of Gastric Bypass include:
• Excellent weight loss (60-80% of excess weight).
• Permanent and long-lasting results. Studies show that after 20 years, most patients do not regain the lost weight.
• Excellent solution for obesity-related health problems.
Post-surgical instructions:
You need to follow the guidelines provided by Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam and his medical team to lose weight safely and avoid complications of the procedure.
• Patients are not allowed to take aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medications after surgery.
• All patients need to take lifelong vitamins after the surgery to avoid long-term vitamin and mineral deficiencies, especially B12, iron, and calcium.
• During the first month, patients need to consume small amounts of soft foods and liquids and will feel full very quickly. Gradually, they will be able to add solid foods back to their diet.
What are the results of the Gastric Bypass procedure?
Most people lose about 10 % in the first month, 50 % in the first 6 months, and from 80 to 100 % of excess weight will be lost in the first year after the surgery. The rate of weight loss will decrease over time. By adhering to your diet and exercise program from the start, you will lose even more weight. Weight loss makes it easier for you to move and carry out your daily activities.
You may lose half or more of your excess weight in the first two years. Sufficient weight loss after surgery can improve many medical conditions, including:
• Asthma.
• Arthritis.
• Fatty liver disease.
• Esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• hypertension.
• Hypercholesterolemia.
• Sleep Apnea.
• Type 2 diabetes.
Gastric Bypass is a surgical procedure that has helped many patients of Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam, Assistant Professor of General and Endoscopic Surgery and Consultant Obesity Surgeon, Kasr El Aini Faculty of Medicine, who sought his help to get rid of obesity and improve their health.
After surgery, your stomach will be smaller. You will feel full with less food. The food you eat will not enter some parts of your stomach and small intestine that absorb food. For this reason, your body will not get all the calories from the food you eat.
How does Gastric Bypass lead to weight loss?
Gastric Bypass surgery is a type of bariatric surgery. During the Gastric Bypass procedure, Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam, Assistant Professor of General and Laparoscopic Surgery and Consultant in Bariatric Surgery at Kasr El-Ainy Faculty of Medicine, makes changes in the stomach and small intestines to alter the way food is absorbed and digested. So Gastric Bypass surgery helps with weight loss by:
• Restricting the amount of food the stomach can hold.
• Limiting the amount of calories and nutrients the body can absorb by bypassing about a third (2 meters) of the intestines.
Steps of the Gastric Bypass procedure:
Gastric Bypass surgery is the most common bariatric surgery worldwide. During Gastric Bypass surgery, Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam performs the following steps:
1. The first step is to make your stomach smaller. The surgeon uses staples to divide your stomach into a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower section without removing the excluded part of the stomach. The upper part of your stomach (called the pouch or pocket) will receive the food you eat. The pouch can only hold around 28 grams of food, so you will eat less and lose weight.
2. The second step is the bypass. Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam divides the small intestine and attaches its lower end to a small opening in the newly created stomach pouch. The food you eat will now pass from the pouch through this new opening into the lower part of the small intestine, bypassing a portion of the small intestine. As a result, your body will absorb fewer calories.
3. Finally, the upper part of the divided small intestine is connected to the lower part of the small intestine so that the stomach acids and digestive enzymes from the bypassed stomach and the first part of the small intestine can eventually mix with the food.
Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam performs Gastric Bypass surgery laparoscopically, making 4 to 6 small incisions in the abdomen to insert the camera and surgical instruments. The camera is connected to a display screen in the operating room, allowing Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam to see inside the abdomen during the procedure.
Advantages of laparoscopic Gastric Bypass:
• Shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.
• Less pain.
• Smaller scars and lower risk of hernia or infection.
When is the Gastric Bypass procedure performed?
Bariatric surgery is required if you have moderate to high-risk obesity and have been unable to lose excess weight through diet and exercise.
Doctors often use body mass index (BMI) and assess obesity-related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension to identify people who are likely to benefit from bariatric surgery.
Gastric Bypass may be recommended if you have:
• A BMI of 35 or higher: A person with a BMI of 35 or more is at least 36 kg overweight. A normal BMI range is 18.5 to 24.9.
• A BMI between 30 to 34.9 (also called grade I obesity) and a serious medical condition that may improve with weight loss. Some of these conditions include sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol and triglycerides, fatty liver disease, and heart disease.
• Obese patients with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), especially when diagnosed endoscopically, as gastric sleeve may not be suitable for such cases.
Key advice before undergoing Gastric Bypass:
The surgeon will require you to undergo tests and consultations with his medical team before the surgery. Some of these include:
• A complete physical examination.
• Blood tests, gallbladder ultrasound, and other tests to ensure you are healthy enough for surgery.
• Ensuring any other medical problems you have, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart or lung problems, are under control.
• Meeting with the nutrition team.
• Providing information to help you understand what happens during the surgery, what to expect afterward, and what risks or problems may occur post-surgery.
• If you smoke, you must quit several weeks before the surgery and not restart after; smoking slows healing and increases complications.
• Knowing the medications, vitamins, herbs, and other supplements you take.
The benefits of Gastric Bypass include:
• Excellent weight loss (60-80% of excess weight).
• Permanent and long-lasting results. Studies show that after 20 years, most patients do not regain the lost weight.
• Excellent solution for obesity-related health problems.
Post-surgical instructions:
You need to follow the guidelines provided by Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam and his medical team to lose weight safely and avoid complications of the procedure.
• Patients are not allowed to take aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medications after surgery.
• All patients need to take lifelong vitamins after the surgery to avoid long-term vitamin and mineral deficiencies, especially B12, iron, and calcium.
• During the first month, patients need to consume small amounts of soft foods and liquids and will feel full very quickly. Gradually, they will be able to add solid foods back to their diet.
What are the results of the Gastric Bypass procedure?
Most people lose about 10 % in the first month, 50 % in the first 6 months, and from 80 to 100 % of excess weight will be lost in the first year after the surgery. The rate of weight loss will decrease over time. By adhering to your diet and exercise program from the start, you will lose even more weight. Weight loss makes it easier for you to move and carry out your daily activities.
You may lose half or more of your excess weight in the first two years. Sufficient weight loss after surgery can improve many medical conditions, including:
• Asthma.
• Arthritis.
• Fatty liver disease.
• Esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• hypertension.
• Hypercholesterolemia.
• Sleep Apnea.
• Type 2 diabetes.
Gastric Bypass is a surgical procedure that has helped many patients of Dr. Ahmed Abd El Salam, Assistant Professor of General and Endoscopic Surgery and Consultant Obesity Surgeon, Kasr El Aini Faculty of Medicine, who sought his help to get rid of obesity and improve their health.
