Overeating: Gastric Bypass Surgery as Treatment - Essay Example

'Overeating: Gastric Bypass Surgery as Treatment' is an exceptional example of a paper on surgery and rehabilitation. 
Why and when a gastric bypass should be done?

A Gastric bypass or bariatric surgery is an alternative method done when one is not able to lose weight through the other alternative weight loss programs such as diets or using the gymnasium. Bariatric surgery is done when one is obese which has to be diagnosed by a medical practitioner (Sarwer, & Dilks, 2014). The other reason one could go through a gastric bypass is if they suffer a serious comorbid condition, which could affect the person’s quality of life. The medical practitioner has to do a body mass index test (BMI) to determine whether one is obese or not. The body mass index test is done by dividing the body weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters. A person’s BMI will always fall between 20 and 70. This will be expressed in kilograms per square meter. Therefore, a person with a BMI of 40 and above can go through bariatric surgery (John and Hoegerl, 2009).

Advantages and disadvantages of a gastric bypass

The first advantage of this surgery is that one is able to lose weight. The patient may continue to lose weight up to 18 to 24 months after the procedure is done. The patients are also able to save themselves from obesity-related ailments for example high blood, arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes (Sarwer, & Dilks, 2014). The weight loss also makes the person have high self-esteem of themselves more than when they were obese. The other advantage is that one reduces the back pains and joints in general. These pains usually occur because of one’s weight. Sleep disorders such as apnea are also cured my gastric bypass. The swelling of legs is also cured by the surgery.

One of the disadvantages of a gastric bypass is lung problems. This condition is also called atelectasis. This is where the lungs collapse due to the chest walls not moving. This condition may also cause pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs.

The other disadvantage would be over bleeding also referred to as hemorrhage. During any surgery, blood vessels have to be cut. When the vessels are rejoined, using the ligature the blood may coagulate. The blood vessel may escape and the patient may begin to bleed. This can cause hemorrhage. It could be at the skin level or in the abdomen (Pepino, Stein, Eagon, & Klein, 2014).

Bariatric surgery may also cause problems in bowel movement. This is caused by adhesions formed in the abdomen after surgery (Buchwald, Cowan, Pories, 2007). These adhesions are latex-like. This can happen way after the surgery is performed. The bowl is curved around these adhesions causing an obstruction.

The gastric bypass can also cause the patient to have an anastomotic leakage. This happens when the surgeon tries to make a connection between the bowel and the stomach. This connection is meant to be watertight. The connection between the two organs is done using staples. The healing is left for the body. If it does not happen, there will be a leakage (Sarwer, & Dilks, 2014).

Ways of making this process more efficient

This process can be made more efficient by doing extensive research on this issue. By so doing the doctors will know how to reduce these side effects. Another way of increasing efficiency is to properly examine the patient before the surgery. This will help them understand how the patient will react to any medication or if the body will properly heal after the bypass (Clark, & Saules, 2013). The surgeons should also get proper medication that would help the patient heal faster and reduce side effects.