Gastric bypass surgery is an operation used for the treatment of morbid obesity. It accounts for the majority of bariatric surgical procedures currently carried in the USA. It is practiced significantly less in Australia.

It can be performed laparoscopically and was first performed in 1993. The bypass consists of creating a small, thumb-size pouch from the upper stomach accompanied by bypass of the remaining stomach and proximal small bowel, thus restricting the amount of food that can be eaten and reducing the absorption of food nutrients. The changes produced by the surgery are not reversible

Although Gastric Bypass produce weight loss of 60% to 70% of excess body weight, like in any major surgery, there is the potential for complications. Those specifically related to the Gastric Bypass procedure include:

• Anastomotic leak/stricture/ulcer
• Dumping syndrome, which will occur when patients eat sweets and, therefore, could actually be a benefit for those patients who are known sweet eaters.
• Nutritional deficiencies