Medical services

Gastric bypass surgery

Yale-New Haven Hospital offers minimally invasive, laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery for morbidly obese patients.

Surgical options
Gastric bypass procedures involve constructing a gastric pouch whose outlet is a Y-shaped limb of small bowel of varying lengths.

Vertical banded gastroplasty consists of constructing a small pouch with a restricted outlet along the lesser curvature of the stomach.

The goal of the surgery is to restrict the amount of food that may be eaten at each meal and to reduce the feeling of hunger in the patient.

Who is a candidate for gastric bypass surgery?
Whether a person can benefit from surgery is determined on an individual basis. Some of the guidelines a surgeon uses are:

• Body mass index of more than 40 (this averages about 80 pounds overweight for a man and 100 pounds overweight for a woman)
• Multiple diets have been tried for at least a year prior to surgery consideration
• Should be between the ages of 18 and 55

All patients must undergo a preoperative mental health evaluation. Patients are screened for psychological disorders. Their eating patterns are assessed and they are evaluated to determine if they have the coping skills and support systems necessary to have a successful outcome from surgery.

Why choose Yale-New Haven Hospital?
Yale-New Haven Hospital surgeons have extensive training and experience specifically in gastric bypass surgery. The bariatric surgery unit is fully equipped to provide the best quality care for patients undergoing surgery.

Equipment:
• State-of-the-art Karl Storz laparoscopy equipment
• High weight capacity beds, operating room tables and wheelchairs
• High tech transfer equipment that has no weight limit
Staff:
• Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is performed only by board-certified surgeons
• Surgeons and staff strictly adhere to standardized preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative protocols
• Nurses and staff who work with gastric bypass patients are trained to understand the patients' unique needs

For a physician referral for gastric bypass surgery, please call our physician referral service, toll free 1-888-700-6543.

Resources

• NIH guidelines for gastric bypass surgery, Women's He@lthLINK, December 20, 2002
• Gastrointestinal Surgery for Severe Obesity, Consensus Development Conference Statement, National Institutes of Health, March 25-27, 1991
• Body Mass Index (BMI) Table, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
• Gastric bypass, Yale New Haven Health Information Library
• Restrictive operations (stomach stapling or gastric banding) , Yale New Haven Health Information Library
• Healthy weight, Yale New Haven Health Information Library

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Last revised: October 12, 2005 (mv)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.