Generally the side effects of Bariatric surgery can be divided into a few broad categories.
They are the general abdominal surgery risks, the short term and long term risks that are specific to the different procedures. These risks of surgery include the risks of general anaesthesia. The different procedures include the laparoscopic gastric banding, the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and the laparoscopic gastric bypass. The sleeve gastrectomy and the gastric bypass are the commonest procedures done today.
The surgical risk also varies with the age of the patient undergoing the procedure, the weight at the time of the procedure and the state of the other medical conditions the patient is currently being treated for.
General surgical risks include wound complications, bleeding, infection, injury to nearby organs, heart and lung issues, clotting of the calves and general anaesthesia. There are other risks specific to the procedures that include leakage from the bowel, acid reflux, nutritional deficiencies, hernias, and adhesions to name a few.
Please consult your friendly surgeon for a comprehensive list and a full description of each.
As the procedures have become more common and the surgical expertise increases the complication rates have decreased significantly. Add this to the much safer anaesthesia techniques, better support services like nursing and hospital facilities and better technology in terms of the equipment used, Bariatric surgery is a safe option for weight management
