Mini Gastric Bypass: A Shorter, Simpler Weight-loss Surgery

If you’re looking for a bariatric surgery that’s not excessively invasive, your best path to slimming down might be a weight-loss procedure called mini gastric bypass.

This surgery is quicker to perform than others and involves fewer incisions and stitches. That means it’s even less risky than other bariatric surgeries.  

A Simplified Weight-Loss Surgery

If your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above, chances are your doctor will talk to you about taking a serious step to lose weight. One proven route is bariatric, or weight-loss, surgery. All bariatric surgeries involve surgically rewiring your insides so the foods you eat take a new path. Your body will only be able to handle small quantities of food at a time, so you’ll eat less, and you might lose your obsession with food.

Over the 70 years since bariatric surgery debuted, the medical community has expanded and improved its offerings. Today, you can choose from several types of operations, most laparoscopic or even robotic, depending on your needs.

For example, your decision might involve these factors:

• How overweight you are. If your BMI is 30 or higher, you might need to lose at least 50 percent of your excess body weight.
• What other medical conditions you have, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart issues, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension or sleep apnea
• If you’ll always be able to swallow hefty nutritional supplements. You’ll need them daily for life after some bariatric surgeries.
• If you have gastric reflux. Your risk of it getting worse is higher with some procedures than others.

Technology and procedures continue to evolve, making the weight-loss journey shorter, safer and more effective than ever.

How Mini Gastric Bypass Works

Mini gastric bypass is an abbreviated version. It joined the lineup in 1997 and has since been tweaked, making it a popular choice for those who need to lose a moderate 25 percent to 30 percent of their total body weight.

Also called one anastomosis or omega loop bypass, mini gastric bypass reroutes your digestion path like its peers do. In this case, it creates a long, thin, vertical, banana-shaped pouch from the lower part of your stomach to the small intestine. The rest of your stomach stays where it is, but it’s sealed so food doesn’t enter it. It’s bypassed, hence the procedure’s name. In addition, your intestines will absorb fewer calories from the foods you eat, and your hormones will change so your brain will receive fewer hunger signals.

Mini gastric bypass involves a whole lot less of several elements along the way:

• Half the work. Your surgeon will connect the newly created stomach pouch with the intestine in only one place. Similar but more complex bariatric procedures involve two connections.
• Half the time. Your operation will be shorter because less work will be done in your body.
• Fewer complications. The less the doctor touches, the lower the chance of complications.
• Shorter hospital stays. You’ll likely go home after only one night in the hospital.

What You Need To Know

Any surgery inherently has risk. When organs are rerouted, fluids can leak. That and strictures happen in fewer than 2 percent of cases. All complications are rare with modern techniques.

Before you decide, ask a bariatric surgeon to spell out the pros and cons of mini gastric bypass for your body, needs and lifestyle. Ask about the success rate for people with your weight, height and comorbidities.

Look too at cost. Mini gastric bypass generally costs less to perform than other weight-loss surgeries because it’s shorter and surgeons manipulate your body less. But, if you plan on having insurance cover the cost, you might be out of luck. Although this operation is the third-most popular for weight loss around the globe, some U.S. providers consider the procedure experimental and will not assist with the fees.

There’s no need to be overweight or obese when the medical community offers proven weight-loss methods such as the mini gastric bypass. Take advantage of this abbreviated surgery and you will become thinner and healthier.