Weight Loss Surgery Risks

Weight loss surgery is intended to help patients lose dramatic amounts of weight while improving overall health and quality of life. However, with any major surgery comes a potential for complications. These complications can range from minor to life-threatening. It's important that you understand the risks that come with weight-loss surgery before deciding if it's the right choice for your personal weight loss journey.

Minor Risks

Any major surgery will bring minor risks for complications that usually last for a short period of time and don't turn out to be anything more than a temporary inconvenience. With weight loss surgery, many patients report experiencing minor setbacks post-surgery that usually last anywhere from a few days to a few months. These minor risks include:
Infections in the internal and external surgical incisions
Hair-thinning or hair loss
Emotional distress resulting from the stress that weight loss surgery puts on patients
Gallstones. It's estimated that 33 percent of weight loss surgery patients develop gallstones.

Serious Risks

The more serious risks of weight loss surgery can affect patients and their overall health for the rest of their lives. Weight loss surgery patients have reported experiencing everything from heart attacks to internal bleeding (resulting from tears in the internal sutures.)

Many patients also experience gastrointestinal problems that can cause everything from nausea to diarrhea. One common example is the condition known as "dumping." Dumping happens when food passes quickly through the stomach and small intestines. Dumping can result in chronic dizziness, nausea and diarrhea after eating.

Potentially Fatal Risks

Surgery can cause complications that result in death. Luckily, technology advancements minimize these risks, but it's important to know all aspects of weight loss surgery.

One potentially fatal risk is known as leaking. Leaking occurs when the connection between the stomach pouch reduced in weight loss surgery tears and leaks stomach acids into the body. These acids are toxic outside of the stomach and can result in patient death if not noticed and corrected quickly.

Though weight loss surgery can pose a risk of death, it's important to note that the death rate for weight loss surgery patients is less than 1 percent of all patients. On the flip side, morbidly obese people reduce their chances of weight-related death by nearly 90 percent by choosing to undergo weight loss surgery.

Long-Term Risks

The greatest potential for surgery-related complications is during the three to six months after weight loss surgery. However, patients can and do experience complications long after their surgery. One common complications is needing corrective surgery. Twenty percent of gastric bypass patients require follow-up surgery to fix health problems that develop, such as hernias.

Also, nutritional deficiencies can result from maintaining an improper diet and cause chronic anemia and osteoporosis. However, the most common complication in the long-term after weight loss surgery is the potential for gaining back the weight. The stomach pouch can stretch, allowing patients to consume more food and gain back the weight they lost post-surgery.

Minimizing Risk

Weight loss surgeons are committed to the success of their patients. Many surgeons will require multiple follow-up visits after the procedure to check progress. There are also things you can do to minimize your risk for health complications after weight loss surgery, including exercise (to bring oxygen to your lungs and heart and decrease the potential for blood clots) and following a strict diet.