July 25, 2008, Newsletter Issue #54: Surgical Risks

Tip of the Week

There are associated risks with every surgical procedure, with less invasive procedures inherently carrying fewer risks. Advances in medicine have made serious complications from liposuction quite rare -- less than half of one percent. The risk of surgical complications increase as more areas are treated and larger amounts of fat are removed. Common side effects of liposuction include bruising, fluid oozing from the incision site(s), swelling, numbness and general discomfort during the healing process. Serious side effects can happen, too. These include infections, excessive fluid loss potentially causing shock, nerve damage, puncture of vital organs and development of fat clots or blood clots possibly causing death.

With bariatric surgery, the list of serious complications grows. It is possible that death may result from surgery and the risk is approximately 1 in 300. Therefore, you should carefully weigh the benefits and risks of surgery. After surgery, many patients report mild to severe nausea, vomiting, bloating and diarrhea. It is very common for these side effects to occur due to the small stomach pouch being overly stretched by food that isn’t chewed well. Complications from gastric bypass surgery can range from abdominal hernias, infections and rupture of the staple line to nutrient deficiencies and stretched stomach pouches. The most frequent post-operative complications for Lap-banding include nausea, vomiting, heartburn and stomach-band outlet obstruction. With any of these bariatric procedures, complications can require hospitalization and/or re-operation.

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