Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery Risks & Benefits
In what is commonly referred to as “open” surgery, surgeons have traditionally made an incision large enough to expose the organs operated on during the procedure.
Within the last decade, however, new minimally invasive surgical techniques have revolutionized many procedures by enabling surgeons to reach the same internal organs through a series of small incisions, reducing bariatric surgery risks.
Benefits of Minimally Invasive Surgery are:
- smaller incision
- fewer wound complications
- reduced hospital stay
- shorter recovery period
- less pain
- decreased need for pain medication
- cosmetic
Risks and Possible Complications of LapBand
We wish to emphasize to our patients that all bariatric surgery operations are major procedures and have serious risk. The national average death rate for bariatric surgery is 0.5%. The following list outlines some risks, but is far from exhaustive.
- Operative
- Short-Term
- Long Term
- Death
- Weight Gain
- Anesthesia
- Slippage/Prolapse
- Injury to Other Organs
- Vomiting
- Cardiac Arrest
- Frothing
- Bleeding
- Tube Leakage
- Respiratory
- Erosion
- Abcess
- Port-Dislodgement
- Pneumonia
- Mechanical Failture
- Infection
- Esophogeal Dysfunction
- Blood Clots (DVT/PE)
- Infection
- Re-operation
Risks and Possible Complications of Gastric Sleeve, Gastric Bypass and Duodenal Switch
- Operative
- Short-Term
- Long Term
- Death
- Weight Gain
- Anesthesia
- Stricture
- Malnutrition
- Injury to Other Organs
- Vomiting
- Calcium Deficiency
- Cardiac Arrest
- Frothing
- Anemia
- Bleeding
- Ulcer
- Hernia
- Respiratory
- Dumping
- Bowel Obstruction
- Leak
- Obstruction
- Chronic Abdominal Pain
- Abcess
- Re-operation
- Fistula
- Pneumonia
- Ulcer
- Infection
- Leak
- Blood Clots (DVT/PE)
Re-operation
While the occurrence of most of these issues are rare, we want to emphasize that these procedures should only be done by a highly-qualified surgeon when other weight loss alternatives have been exhausted.
