Week 3 – LOM Assignment 1
Michaela McClellen

The Dangers of Gastric Bypass and Lap-Band Procedures

As with any surgery, gastric bypass and lap-band procedures pose potential health risks. One danger with the gastric bypass procedure is a condition known as “dumping syndrome”, this is where ingested foods bypass the stomach too rapidly and enter the small intestine largely undigested. This undigested food draws excessive fluid into the small intestine causing nausea, cramping, diarrhea, sweating, feeling faint and fast heart rate. In addition people with this syndrome often suffer from low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Blood clots in the legs can be another danger: In some cases they travel to the lungs and lodge in the arteries which could cause a pulmonary embolism, a serious condition that damages lung tissues and can even lead to death.(“Gastric Bypass Surgery” ,2007)

The lap-band procedure also has dangerous risks, one being: Infection of
Surgical wounds, or deep abdominal infections because of manipulation of the bowel and organs with the added potential of damaging of bowels and releasing contaminated contents into the stomach. Another risk is the slipping of the band from its original position, if this were to occur then the surgical procedure would be necessary to be performed again. (Chrisholm, 2011) 2
References

Mayo Clinic (2007, Oct 5). Gastric Bypass Surgery: What to expect?
Retrieved July 17, 2013 from CNN Health website: http://www.cnn.com/health/library/gastric Kris Chisholm (2011, May11). The Dangers of Lap Band Surgery
Retrieved July 21, 2013 from Livestrong website:
http:www.livestrong.com/ariticle/15593