Gastric Bypass Gives Patients New Lease on Life

Michael Nusbaum, M.D., F.A.C.S., general surgeon at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, had a gastric bypass patient who weighed over 800 pounds before the stomach-reducing procedure. The man, in his mid 30s, was housebound and bedridden. Another patient, an older female, weighed over 500 pounds and could not walk on her own. She had high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnea so severe that she required a machine to maintain night breathing.

After gastric bypass surgery, both patients shed hundreds of pounds and enjoyed normal life for the first time. They enjoyed improved health and a reduction in the need for medication. Relatives of the patients called Dr. Nusbaum crying. They were very thankful to see their loved ones free of the constraints of morbid obesity.

"Gastric bypass surgery is very rewarding for me," says Dr. Nusbaum, who initiated the surgery at Saint Barnabas three years ago. "Beyond the success we have with new technology, patients come back to us so happy with the results. They lose weight and most find relief from former health problems. We change their lives."

SEARCHING FOR RELIEF FROM SEVERE OBESITY

Severe obesity is a multi-system disease that can produce medical problems including high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, degenerative arthritis and sleep apnea. After years of failed diets and failing health, many patients consider gastric bypass surgery as a last resort. Now performed laparoscopically, gastric bypass surgery results in shorter hospital stays for patients and a dramatic reduction in post-operative pain.

Gastric bypass surgery is one of the fastest growing surgeries in the country, Dr. Nusbaum reports. Gastric bypass surgery is designed for the morbidly obese, those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 plus, or those with a BMI of 35 plus who also have at least one significant health condition. Generally, patients are more than double their ideal body weight or more than 100 pounds overweight

If patients choose surgery, they have two options, both of which are designed to reduce food intake. These operations tend to produce a feeling of fullness so that the individual has a greatly reduced appetite or no appetite at all.

Two Options

Laparoscopic Gastric Banding is an operation that produces a small pouch of stomach above the larger "main body"of stomach. This hourglass shape is accomplished through the use of an adjustable gastric band that wraps around the upper portion of stomach.

The adjustable band restricts the amount of food intake by creating a "smaller stomach" that gets full rapidly and then restricts the amount of food that can flow out of this stomach. In addition, compressing the stomach creates a sensation of fullness. The band can be adjusted to create the desired amount of food restriction. This procedureis recommend for those who prefer a nonpermanent procedure.

Average weight loss with Gastric Banding is approximately 30 to 50 percent of excess weight, with most patients losing 10-15 pounds the first month, and 2-5 pounds each month after until near-ideal weight is achieved.

Roux-en-Y. Gastric Bypass is performed by separating out a small pouch from the upper part of the stomach.

To this, a section of small intestine is joined and the food passes directly from the small pouch (the new stomach) into this intestine. The remainder of the stomach continues to empty into the small intestine; however, no food is passing through the old stomach.

Average weight loss with the Gastric Bypass is approximately 60 to 70 percent of the excess weight, with most patients losing 30 pounds the first month, and 10-15 pounds each month after until near-ideal weight is achieved.