Mini Gastric Bypass
The price of being overweight or, worse, obese is steep. Most people are familiar with the health effects, such as diabetes and heart disease, but a lesser-known impact is loss of self-esteem. Weight stigma is so rampant in Australian society that more people believe that obesity is the result of a lack of willpower. While diet and lifestyle play a role in obesity, so do genetics and the environment. Health experts refer to such a situation as an obesogenic environment, one where staying healthy is hard even if you want to. That’s when mini gastric bypass surgery starts to be be considered.
Seeking expert help is essential. Bariatric surgery is a solution when diet and exercise alone won’t be enough, one example being a mini gastric bypass. That said, how safe and effective is it?
What is a Mini Gastric Bypass?
Mini gastric bypass is a bariatric surgery procedure that shrinks the stomach to help a person feel fuller faster. The image below shows a typical before-and-after scenario.
As the term implies, a mini gastric bypass entirely avoids the stomach by cutting a small part of the stomach. Instead of entering the full stomach, food will pass through the so-called ‘stomach pouch’ and straight into the small intestine. Meanwhile, the remaining stomach will hold digestive juices that’ll also be fed into the small intestine.
The single loop gastric bypass procedure is one of two kinds of gastric bypass surgery, the other being the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Despite both working more or less the same, ask any bariatric surgeon and they’ll tell you that the former carries less risk of complications. This is because a mini gastric bypass requires less intestinal re-routing than RYGB.
How Effective Is It?
According to the latest Bariatric Surgery Registry report by Monash University, mini gastric bypass is the second most performed procedure (after gastric sleeve surgery). Of the roughly 16,000 primary surgeries done in Australia in 2023, 11% were mini gastric bypass surgery procedures. Average weight loss in the first four years ranged between 33 and 35% of a patient’s weight before surgery.
However, diabetes management is where mini gastric bypass really shines. In a study of over 1,000 patients, health experts at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney revealed that mini gastric bypass achieved a 74% remission rate for type 2 diabetes one year after the operation. Other studies achieved the same results.
Researchers at UNSW Sydney explain that the resulting weight loss led to an increase in the production of certain hormones. One of these is glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), of which a synthetic version is used to create weight loss medication. These hormones work by lowering sugar-linked haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentration in the blood.
Lower HbA1c levels contribute to reduced insulin resistance. As a result, your pancreas won’t become overwhelmed when supplying the body with enough insulin. In the Registry’s report, 70% of patients taking insulin medication saw no need to do so one year following the bariatric operation.
How Safe Is It?
The Registry recorded a 3.8% complication rate among mini gastric bypass patients within 90 days of the procedure. Complications include, but aren’t limited to:
- Biliary reflux: Bile released from the liver backs up from the small intestine to the oesophagus, causing inflammation along the internal lining.
- Marginal ulcer: Also called a stomal ulcer, this is an ulcer that develops around the connection between the stomach and small intestine.
- Anastomotic leak: The connection isn’t sealed correctly, allowing digestive acids and other fluids to leak to nearby tissues and organs.
Any surgical operation, no matter how invasive, carries a risk of complications. However, the risk of mini gastric bypass is extremely low due to cutting-edge technology and best practices. The procedure is often done via a laparoscopic technique, which only needs several small half-inch (1.27 cm) incisions. Sometimes, the surgeon uses robotic arms.
Despite its low complication rate, surgeons limit the kind of patients who qualify for mini-gastric bypass. Under National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, bariatric surgery can be for adults with a 40 BMI or over.
Other eligible individuals include those with a BMI of over 35 with comorbidities or a BMI of over 30 with a poorly managed type 2 diabetes and high risk of heart disease. Children and adolescents aren’t viable for the procedure, as they’re still growing.
Between considerable weight loss and a low risk of complications, mini gastric bypass is safe and effective. It’s a great way to achieve weight goals when a healthy diet and exercise program isn’t enough.
