Bariatric surgery is done to help obese patients lose weight by reducing the size of the stomach. Gastric bypass is the most common type of bariatric surgery performed in the United States, the Mayo Clinic states. Over 200,000 bypass procedures are done in the U.S. each year, according to the Merck Manual. As with any major surgery, complications can occur. Because many people undergoing the procedure have health problems such as diabetes in addition to being obese, gastric bypass carries more risk of complications than if the procedure was done on people of normal weight
Death
Gastric bypass surgery carries a significant risk of death; around 1 out of 300 patients undergoing the procedure at an experienced bariatric surgery center die from it, Western Pennsylvania Hospital states. Most deaths occur due to pre-existing heart or lung disease. People with a very high body mass index (BMI), those more than 110 pounds overweight, men and people with serious health conditions besides obesity are most likely to die from the procedure. In addition, The Merck Manual reports that a person is three times more likely to die if he has the procedure done at a center that does fewer than 50 procedures a year, compared to having the procedure at a center that does more than 150 bariatric surgeries a year. Pulmonary embolism is the most common cause of death in the early postoperative period, Merck states.
Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism is the result of a blood clot forming in the leg and breaking off, traveling to the lung. The clot blocks blood flow to part of the lung, resulting in decreased oxygenation and tissue death in the lung. Pulmonary embolism develops in less than 1 percent of bypass patients, according to Western Pennsylvania Hospital. Patients may also have shortness of breath; in some cases, sudden death may be the first sign of pulmonary embolism. Blood thinners and use of compression stockings, plus early ambulation, can help prevent blood clots from developing in the legs. If life threatening blood clots do develop, clot dissolving medications called thrombolytics are used to break up clots. Very large clots may require surgical removal.
Gastrointestinal Tract Leak
Leaking at the staple line where the stomach and bowel meet is a serious early complication of bypass surgery that may necessitate emergency surgical repair, according to the Mayo Clinic. Rapid heartbeat, or tachycardia, may be the only early sign of a gastrointestinal tract leak, also called anastomotic leak. Other symptoms include fever, abdominal pain and shortness of breath. Antibiotics are used to treat anastomotic leak.
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