The risks of a stomach reduction

Let’s start with a bad fact: people with obesity and a body mass index of 40 die on average 12 years earlier. Twelve years – that’s a long time. A gastric bypass can greatly reduce that risk. But you should certainly not think too lightly about such an operation, because it entails the necessary risks.

Stomach reduction – in short

• The patient has a body mass index of 40 or higher.
• The patient has a body mass index of 35 or higher and related complaints such as high cholesterol, sleep apnea, diabetes or high blood pressure.
• The GP or practice nurse refers the patient to the hospital.
• The operation is performed in 17 hospitals in the Netherlands. You can go to many more hospitals for the counseling process before and after the procedure.
• The gastric bypass is the most common. The stomach is reduced in size and the digestive tract is rerouted.
• With a gastric sleeve, part of the stomach is actually removed.
• Stomach reductions using a gastric band are hardly ever performed anymore.

A new lifestyle

A stomach reduction is not only a literal operation, also figuratively you can consider such an operation as a huge operation. You have to move a lot more, you can only eat in small amounts and there must be at least half an hour between eating and drinking. It also often happens that someone no longer tolerates certain nutrients (such as milk products) after surgery.

Short-term medical risks

• Some patients have a lot of trouble eating or drinking after surgery. Sometimes this is accompanied by frequent vomiting. Research is already being done into the causes, but so far without results.
• After gastric reduction surgery you have to take blood thinners for a while to reduce the risk of thrombosis (a blood clot that gets stuck somewhere). A blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism) can be life-threatening.
• Leakage can occur around sutures and staples, which can lead to peritonitis, for example. If this happens, keyhole surgery is needed.
• After an operation there is always a risk of (internal) bleeding. Sometimes you have to have surgery again.
• The risk of infections is also always present. You can think of wound infection, but also pneumonia or kidney infection.
• Two out of every thousand people die during or shortly after gastric bypass surgery.

Long-term medical risks

Even years after gastric bypass surgery, problems can still arise.

• If you have undergone a gastric bypass, you can still suffer from dumping years later. This happens if you eat or drink too fast and/or too many calories. You then become dizzy, nauseous and you start to sweat. Although dumping is not dangerous, it is very annoying.
• As a result of the rapid weight loss, you run an increased risk of gallstones.
• The stomach is under more pressure (especially after a gastric sleeve), which makes you more prone to heartburn.
• The risk of a stomach ulcer is higher. You must also take gastric acid protectors for the first months after surgery.
• Sometimes scar tissue or an incisional hernia develops, which can lead to an intestinal blockage. Intestinal entanglement can also occur.
• The stomach or the transition from stomach to intestine can narrow as a result of scar tissue. As a result, the food does not sink properly, which can lead to vomiting.
• Because you eat much less, you can run into a shortage of vitamins and minerals. Such a deficiency can also arise if the intestines no longer absorb the nutrients well enough.
• Because you lose a lot of weight, you can suffer from excess skin. A visit to the plastic surgeon can offer a solution.
• Death due to complications after a long period of time is very rare.

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