Roux en Y Gastric Bypass Surgery - Part II

Patients who have had Roux-en-Y are at risk for a lifelong deficiency of vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is necessary for both the growth and replication of all body cells and the functioning of the nervous system. Deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause pernicious anemia and neurologic lesions. Physicians who work with patients who have had gastric bypass surgery sometimes recommend that their patients take B12 in a sublingual form. Sublingual means "under the tongue". These preparations are in a crystalline form and are absorbed directly into the blood stream through the tissues under the tongue. The other choice physicians offer to their patients is to have vitamin B-12 injected on a regular basis.

Sometimes the gall bladder is removed as part of the gastric bypass surgery, because gall stones are common after this type of surgical procedure. If the gall bladder is is not removed, medication may be prescribed by the surgeon so that gall stones do not develop.

It is common for Roux-en-Y surgery to now be performed laparoscopically. This type of procedure is less invasive and the patient recovers more quickly. It has been found that performing the procedure laparoscopically often reduces perioperative complications, such as pulmonary embolism, hernias, or wound infections. Roux-en-Y surgery for obesity control is known in the United States as the “gold standard” in weight control surgical procedures.