Complications & Risks of Bariatric Surgery or Weight Loss Surgery

Surgical mortality from bariatric surgery is generally less than 1%. Risks involved vary with the procedure, patient’s age and medical conditions, and the expertise of the operating team.

Males have increased risk for morbidity and mortality compared to females undergoing this surgery.. What follows is a list of the possible complications of bariatric surgery:

Bleeding from the intestines
Infection of the wound
Blockage, tear in the bowels
Food intolerance
Vomiting or straining after surgery before the incision heals can cause a hernia. Laparoscopy assisted surgery greatly reduces hernia risk.
Depression
Nutritional consequences: Deficiency of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, iron.
Gastroesophageal reflux
Hiccups and bloating may occur due to the enlargement of the bypassed stomach
Ulcer
Blood clots in the legs or lungs
Heart attack
Pneumonia
Urinary tract infection

Anesthetics problems may occur as in any major operation.

In bariatric surgery a condition called "rapid gastric emptying" or Dumping syndrome can occur. Dumping syndrome occurs when the lower section of the small intestine (jejunum) fills up too quickly with undigested food from the stomach, causing unpleasant digestive effects. Dumping syndrome can also be triggered in gastric surgery patients by consumption of simple carbohydrates (sugar, or some starches) or carbohydrates with a high glycemic index.

There are two variants of rapid gastric emptying: early and late dumping.

Early dumping typically starts during or immediately after a meal with symptoms like: