Bariatric Surgery

with Bradley Mays, M.D., Bariatric Surgeon, Columbia St. Mary’s Bariatric Center

Posted: Jan. 1, 2005

Given that 169 million Americans are overweight and half of those people are obese, chances are that you or someone you know is considering gastric bypass surgery.

The surgeons at the Columbia St. Mary’s Bariatric Center specialize in performing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a minimally invasive procedure that can result in dramatic weight loss. Patients can lose up to 70 to 80 percent of their excess weight in the first year after surgery. Follow up studies show that people have maintained that weight loss for 10 years.

Bradley Mays, M.D., Bariatric Surgeon, Columbia St. Mary’s Bariatric Center "“Laparoscopic surgery is one reason there’s been increased interest in gastric bypass surgery over the last decade. There are fewer complications, less pain and shorter hospital stays."

In Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, a small stomach pouch is created, and then connected to a shorter length of the small intestines.

“The procedure reduces the stomach to the size of an egg,” said Dr. Siverhus, a surgeon with Columbia St. Mary’s Bariatric Center. “People lose weight because the smaller pouch encourages them to eat less food and the shorter length of small intestine allows for less calorie absorption.”

In most cases, the surgeons at Columbia St. Mary’s can perform the procedure laparoscopically, with a few small incisions in the abdomen. The laparoscope, a small telescope connected to a video camera, is inserted through the incisions. It transmits a picture to a video monitor that the surgeon uses to guide the instruments during the surgery.

Benefits of laparascopic surgery
Doing the surgery laparoscopically, said Dr. Mays, a surgeon with Columbia St. Mary’s Bariatric Center, has led to a decrease in the two most common complications of the procedure – post-surgical hernias and wound infections.

“Laparoscopic surgery is one reason there’s been increased interest in gastric bypass surgery over the past decade,” he said. “There are fewer complications, less pain and shorter hospital stays.”

Other reasons could include the nearly 300,000 deaths each year for obesity-related conditions, and the fact that obesity is second only to tobacco as a preventable killer. Obese people often suffer with serious health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, sleep apnea and arthritis.

Evaluations before surgery
At Columbia St. Mary’s, patients are evaluated to see if they are good candidates for the procedure. That includes meetings with Bariatric Center personnel, an evaluation by a psychologist or psychiatrist, an upper endoscopy by a gastroenterologist, a checkup with a primary care physician, and routine blood and urine tests. Patients may also be required to have an EKG or chest X-ray, sleep study or stress test.

The doctors are careful to ensure that patients are ready and willing to make the lifestyle changes necessary to ensure that the surgery is a success. One major indicator for long term success with weight loss is a person’s willingness to modify their dietary habits prior to surgery.

Lifestyle changes
Adjusting eating patterns before the surgery is a strong statement that the patient is really committed to a healthier lifestyle.

“This isn’t about what we do,” Dr. Siverhus said. “It’s a lifestyle change that our patients have to make. We give them the tool to lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle, but it’s not the easy way out.”

Although they’re only in the hospital for two to three days, they’ll be eating differently and taking multivitamin, iron and calcium supplements for the rest of their lives.

Dr. Mays said, “We think taking vitamins is a good tradeoff for taking medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.”

In addition to the physical improvements after surgery, there are psychological and social benefits as well. Many people gain a more positive outlook on life. They finally “fit in” to a world that had not adapted to their larger size.

“It’s a whole new way of life,” Dr. Mays said.

For more information about the Bariatric Center at Columbia St. Mary’s, please go to www.milwaukeebariatricsurgery.com or call 414-962-BARI(2274).

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