Dr. Carson Liu

Los Angeles, California

Friday, January 8, 2010

Requirements for Gastric Bypass Surgery

Rouen-en-Y gastric bypass involves creating a smaller stomach pouch using staples, then creating a Y-shaped section of the small intestine that allows food to bypass it. This technique creates malabsorption, which means that the patient absorbs fewer calories and nutrients through the stomach and small intestine. The procedure also allows a limited amount of food into the stomach pouch. Patients who have this surgery can lose up to two-thirds their original body weight.

Not everyone is a good candidate for gastric bypass surgery. Even some patients who consider themselves overweight or who are obese are not good candidates. Surgeons take into account a number of factors when deciding if gastric bypass is right for a particular patient.

Those factors include:

Age between 18 and 65
A Body Mass Index (BMI) above 40
A range of additional conditions, including diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, hypertension, high cholesterol, infertility, heart disease, asthma, stroke, metabolic syndrome. and several types of cancer
Have been unable to lose weight using diet and exercise
A family history of obesity-related health problems

For more information and to find out if you are a possible candidate for gastric bypass surgery, please contact Los Angeles surgeon Dr. Carson Liu for more information.

posted by Tiffany at 1:44 PM