Our team of experts is at the forefront of weight loss surgery. We will work with you to find the best weight loss procedure for your goals and needs. The gastric bypass is one of the surgical options we offer at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Laparoscopic techniques use only a few small incisions (cuts), unlike traditional open surgery. This is safer and gives you a faster recovery time than open surgery. You have less scarring and a smaller risk of infection.
Gastric bypass surgery reduces the size of the stomach and limits how much food the stomach can hold, leading to weight loss. The surgery also alters the levels of hormones that control hunger. This makes you less likely to overeat.
During gastric bypass surgery, your surgeon first makes your stomach smaller by dividing your stomach into a top section and a bottom section. The top section that's created is called the pouch. It's about the size of an egg and can hold 1 to 2 ounces of food.
To complete the bypass part of the surgery, your surgeon connects a part of your small intestine to the pouch. When you eat food, it moves from the pouch through this new opening into your small intestine. This means food bypasses (goes around) the upper part of the small intestine. These steps of the surgery lead to neurohormonal changes which reduce hunger, increase feelings of fullness and help you lose weight.
After treatment, you can expect to:
You may have better health following surgery, like fewer symptoms from weight-related health conditions. After treatment, the following conditions may improve or even resolve completely:
You need to have a certain body mass index (BMI) to qualify for surgery. You may qualify for surgery if:
Healthcare professionals use BMI to check your risk for weight-related diseases. BMI is based on a formula that considers your current weight and height. While it’s not a perfect method, it can be a useful health indicator for many people. To find out your BMI, you can use our BMI calculator. If you don’t qualify for bariatric surgery, we offer other options like endoscopic treatments and medically supervised treatments.
We can help you make lifestyle changes before the surgery. You will also have a few consultations to meet with your care team. These include:
The operation takes about 90-120 minutes to perform and the hospital stay is 1-2 days. Patients usually return to work in 2-4 weeks. After the surgery, you will also need to take daily vitamin supplements. After surgery, you move through a staged eating plan which consists of:
Marianne lost more than 100 pounds following weight-loss surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In this video, she describes how the Brigham’s Center for Weight Management and Wellness helped transform her health and life. Ali Tavakkoli, MD, co-director of the center, discusses how the team creates a life-long partnership with patients for long-term success.
Yes, we offer ongoing support to help you keep the weight off. Our comprehensive team—which includes surgeons, dietitians, psychologists, and physician assistants—helps support you to ensure you remain successful long after your surgery has been completed.
We offer:
Ali Tavakkoli, MD
Chief, General and Gastrointestinal Surgery
Abdelrahman Nimeri, MBBCH
Director of Bariatric Surgery
Neil D. Ghushe, MD
Bariatric Surgeon
Malcolm Kenneth Robinson, MD, FACS
Bariatric Surgeon
Eric G. Sheu, MD, PhD
Bariatric Surgeon
David Spector, MD
Bariatric Surgeon
Thomas C. Tsai, MD, MPH
Bariatric Surgeon
Ashley Haralson Vernon, MD
Bariatric Surgeon
After you have viewed our video, please call us at 617-525-3597 to schedule an initial evaluation to discuss treatment options.
Brigham and Women's offers experience, excellence, and patient-focused care. If you are interested in referring a patient, you can call 617-525-3597 for additional information or to register a patient for a free information session.
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