Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center physicians
to perform gastric bypass surgery in live webcast

A CME Event

First Seen: April 20, 2004

Patient Update   Dr. Fernandez saw the patient from the April 20 webcast on May 17, three weeks after surgery. Her caregiver at the "Weight Management Center" reports that the patient lost 35 pounds, is exercising five to six days per week, and will return to work on May 18. The caregiver adds that the patient looks like a "million bucks."

Gastric Bypass Surgery

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Surgeons at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center used laparoscopic surgery to perform a gastric bypass in a live webcast from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center at 5 p.m. on April 20.

	Gastric Bypass Surgery

This procedure is the most extensively studied and accepted weight loss surgery in the United States. Considered minimally invasive, it requires 5-7 small incisions in the abdomen to create an egg-sized stomach pouch.

Creating this small stomach pouch restricts the amount and type of food the patient can consume and induces resistance to food intake. The average weight loss with the Roux-en-Y procedure is 60-70 percent of the patient’s excess weight. The weight loss can be maintained with strict attention to a comprehensive program of diet, exercise, and attention to the behavioral issues of overeating.

Studies show that patients who undergo this procedure were able to maintain the majority of their weight loss at least 10 to 14 years later. Health conditions often associated with obesity were also improved or resolved completely. There are other bariatric surgery options including vertical banded gastroplasty, laparoscopic banding and duodenal switch operations. These procedures may be applicable in certain patients and each patient is managed individually.

Wake Forest Baptist surgeons Adolfo “Fuzz” Fernandez, Jr., MD and Carl J. Westcott, MD, F.A.C.S. performed the procedure. Both have been fellowship-trained in laparoscopic surgery.

In order to be considered as a candidate for gastric bypass surgery, patients must:

• have made multiple attempts to lose weight, including structured programs through nationally recognized organizations or physician supervised programs

• weigh at least 100 pounds over their ideal body weight with a Body Mass Index of >35 with co-morbidities or >40 with no current co-morbidities

• be motivated to undergo a change in lifestyle and eating habits

• have the approval of the primary care physician managing the patient’s medical conditions

• be willing to work collaboratively with a team of healthcare providers interested in their successful journey to a healthier lifestyle

• be between 18-55 years old

“The recent popularity of surgery has not changed the fact that obesity is best managed with diet and exercise,” said Westcott. “But in some individuals this treatment course fails repeatedly leading to serious adverse health effects. In these patients a more drastic intervention is necessary if they are ever to get control of their weight and health.”

For more information about gastric bypass surgeries, visit http://www1.wfubmc.edu/weightmanagement.