Any type of surgery comes with a certain degree of risk, and bariatric surgery is no different. But what are the potential complications of bariatric surgery, and how common are they? We will attempt to answer these questions here.
Potential Bariatric Surgery Complications
The complications associated with bariatric weight-loss surgery vary, based on the type of bariatric surgery you choose to undergo. And, of course, the potential risks and complications of general surgery apply here as well.
Potential complications of general surgery:
- Respiratory problems
- Risk of infection (from incision area)
- Excessive bleeding (internal or external)
- Allergic reaction to medicines
- Reactions to anesthesia
Potential complications of bariatric weight-loss surgery:
- Leaking of stomach acid or bacteria into the abdominal cavity
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies as a result of malabsorption
- Hernia in the abdominal wall (with gastric bypass)
- Dumping syndrome (heart palpitations, nausea, sweating, dizziness)
The major risks of weight loss surgery: *
- Leaking of stomach content into other areas
- Blood clots
- Respiratory failure
* According to the University of Iowa report “Mortality in Obesity Surgery,” the majority of patients who die within a month of weight loss surgery suffer one of the three major complications above.
Learn More
When researching bariatric surgery (or any type of surgery for that matter), it’s wise to research it from many different angles. This will help you see all sides of the topic and make a better decision as a result. To aid you in this research, we have gathered some resources from around the Web that discuss complications of bariatric surgery.
Gastrointestinal Complications of Bariatric Surgery
Here’s a more in-depth article on Medscape.com (WebMD). It goes into much more detail than what we’ve done here on this page.
Bariatric Surgery Risks
TheDocShop.com does an excellent job explaining the possible complications of bariatric surgery in a clear way. They’ve even segmented the complications based on the type of bariatric surgery (gastric bypass, LAP-BAND®, etc.).
Weighing Bariatric Surgery’s Risks
This article on Business Week’s website offers another good look at the potential risks (and lifestyle changes) inherent with weight loss procedures.
Bariatric Surgery - Potential Risks and Complications
A basic list in bullet-point format. Courtesy of the Bariatric Surgery Center at Highland Hospital.
Related article: Bariatric Surgery Criteria
