Gastric Bypass Option

With gastric bypass surgery, a patient is generally looking at a procedure that can last upwards of four hours. Most patients who have gastric bypass surgery can expect a few days in the hospital to recover before being released.

In gastric bypass the surgeon forms a small pouch at the upper portion of the stomach and introduces a bypass around a segment of your stomach and small intestine.

The surgeon staples the stomach across the top, sealing it off from the remainder of your stomach. The resulting pouch is generally the size of a walnut and can host only about an ounce of food. While the pouch is physically separated from the rest of the stomach, the surgeon cuts the small intestine and sews a portion of it directly onto the pouch.

As you can tell, gastric bypass is more invasive than Lap Band surgery, often leading more patients to opt for the latter procedure to help in their fight against being overweight.