Study: Obesity Surgery as Safe as Other Types

Gastric bypass causes no more short-term problems than other common types of surgery, a new study finds. Gastric bypass is a type of weight-loss surgery. It shrinks the stomach. It also causes food to bypass part of the small intestine. The study looked laparoscopic procedures. They are done using very small incisions. Everyone in the study had type 2 diabetes. More than 16,500 had gastric bypass surgery. Almost 67,000 had other types of surgery. In the 30 days after gastric bypass, 3.4% of patients had some sort of problem (complication). That was about the same rate as for gallbladder surgery and hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). About 0.3% of gastric bypass patients died within 30 days after surgery. That was about the same death rate as total knee replacement. The study was presented November 6 at a conference. Weight loss after gastric bypass can improve health.