Bariatric Surgery Complications

BARIATRIC SURGERY: DOES THE RISK OUTWEIGH THE REWARD?
Many overweight and obese people -- especially those who for whom maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and using weight loss inducing medication are either impractical, ineffective, or difficult to maintain -- have been turning to Bariatic Surgery, hoping for a quick solution to a lifelong problem. However, there are numerous possible side effects of weight loss surgery that need to be considered individually before committing to the procedure.

In fact, one of the foremost complications of Bariatric Surgery is the possibility that it may result in death. According to most experts, fatalities occur in about one out of every 100 people that have the procedure, and is more likely among those with unusually high Body Mass Indexes (BMI) or other serious pre-existing medical conditions. In cases where patient death occurs, the cause can usually be tied to the occurrence of one or more additional complications after Bariatric Surgery, such as a pulmonary embolism or a leak from the gastrointestinal tract.

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Gastrointestinal leaks are a major Bariatric Surgery risk. When a leak occurs, it means that the connection between the bowels and the stomach was not properly sealed or stapled. This may cause material from the bowels to seep back into the stomach or abdominal area, thus causing infection and major health complications. Bariatric Surgery results in this condition roughly 1% of the time, and while not common, it is most certainly a life-threatening condition. When doctors expect their may be a possible leak, or if the patient begins to feel symptoms that can be linked to such an infection, emergency surgery may be required.

In fact, complications to Bariatric Surgery result in the need for additional surgery in about one out of every five patients who undergo the procedure. Some of the other possible Bariatric Surgery complications include bowel obstruction, the formation of stricture, the formation of stomach ulcers, abdominal bleeding, pneumonia, the formation of gallstones and abdominal hernias. Individually, there is a 1% to 5% chance that any of these weight loss surgery complications will occur within a given patient, although as mentioned earlier, there is a 20% chance that at least one of these Bariatric Surgery risks will occur within a particular individual.

Should the procedure is a complete success; there is still another possible, long-term Bariatric Surgery complication that might arise over time -- malnutrition. If the patient fails to follow the dietary plan provided by his or her doctor, they could wind up deficient in protein, vitamins or minerals. In fact, according to information provided by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, as many as 30% of those who undergo Bariatric Surgery could wind up with serious nutritional deficiency disorders, including anemia and osteoporosis. Complicating matters it the fact that the body may develop and intolerance to certain foods, including milk and beef, following weight loss surgery.