What is Gastric Bypass Surgery?

Research has shown that obesity may contribute to many health-related issues such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. For some people, losing weight is more than simply cutting calories. Some individuals have tried everything including weight-loss programs, crash diets and diet drugs with short lived, little or no success. And losing weight is a life-long struggle.

Bariatric surgery is weight-loss surgery. It includes a variety of surgical procedures to help obese individuals control their weight. The Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program offers comprehensive care for “morbidly obese” patients before and after weight loss surgery.

Under the leadership of Noel Williams, MD, FRCSI, Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s team of professionals are experts in their respective fields — medicine, nursing, nutrition, psychology and surgery. The team works together to provide patients with the best medical care, while also helping patients achieve their lifestyle and weight-loss goals.

Gastric Bypass Surgery at Penn

Surgery for weight loss isn’t about being weak or taking the easy way out, it’s about taking charge of your obesity and making the decision to live a healthy life. It’s about not letting your life be dictated by what you can or cannot do because of the restrictions obesity can place on your lifestyle.

The most common type of bariatric surgery performed in the United States, during the Roux-en-Y procedure a Penn surgeon divides a small gastric pouch from the upper portion of the stomach and attaches it directly to the small intestine, completely bypassing the larger part of the stomach.

In addition, Penn offers patients these other types of weight-loss surgery:

• Adjustable Gastric Band: This procedure involves placing an adjustable silastic band around the upper portion of the stomach to reduce food intake.
• Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy: In this procedure, a sleeve-shaped tube is created from a small portion of the stomach and the majority of the stomach is removed.

All procedures performed by Penn's Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program are available using a minimally invasive approach, called laparoscopic-assisted surgery, that offers many benefits for patients including shorter recovery times and less post-operative pain. In addition, Penn offers robotic-assisted bariatric surgery for the adjustable gastric band and sleeve gastrectomy procedures. Penn's bariatric specialists are highly experienced in robotic-assisted surgery and have performed more than 500 robotic LAP-BAND procedures.

More Than Weight-loss Surgery

The Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program is committed to delivering comprehensive care and providing each of its bariatric surgery patients with the tools for long-term success. In keeping with this commitment, the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program offers a host of monthly pre- and post-surgical support services for its patients. During these meetings, patients share their experiences with one another and receive support from the Penn bariatric community.

Get more information about weight-loss surgery at Penn

Learn if bariatric surgery is right for you by attending a free information session about the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

At this free session, you learn more about weight-loss surgery at Penn and meet physicians and team members from the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program.

Register for this free event here.