Weight Loss Surgery - Frequently Asked Questions

If your BMI is 35 or above, weight loss surgery could be an option for you. This depends on your health insurance provider and other co-morbidity factors.

Find out your BMI with our online BMI Calculator.

Most of our surgical procedures take between 1 and 2 hours.

• Sleeve gastrectomy surgery takes roughly 1 hour.
• Gastric bypass surgery takes 1.5 – 2 hours and mini gastric bypass surgery takes between 1 and 1.5 hours.
• Mini gastric bypass surgery takes between 1 and 1.5 hours.

There are a number of potential risks related to weight loss surgery, but we’ll talk you through these and any concerns you have during your consultations with us.

Below we discuss some of the associated risks, but we stress that they are uncommon, especially in the hands of the experienced bariatric team here at Blackrock WeightCare.

Short-term:

• Bleeding
• Infection and wound pain
• Organ, bowel or vascular damage (including the risk of spleen removal)
• Converting from keyhole to open surgery
• Staple line leak (1-2%) which may need additional surgery or a longer stay in hospital
• Anaesthetic complications (heart attack, chest infection, nausea and vomiting)
• DVT and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the legs and/or lungs)
• Portal Vein Thrombosis (extremely rare but serious)

Long-term:

• Stomach ulcer, fistula, narrowing or twist that needs stretching or additional surgery
• Acid reflux after a sleeve gastrectomy or one anastomosis bypass operation (you may need to take antacid medication long-term)
• Nutritional deficiencies (vitamins, minerals, protein)
• Alopecia (hair loss which can occur in the first months after surgery and is usually limited in its extent)
• Gallstone formation
• Excessive weight loss and/or loose skin on the stomach, thighs, arms and/or breasts
• Poor weight loss
• Weight regain and a stretching of the gastric bypass pouch or sleeve over time
• Psychological issues adapting to weight loss and what it means

We’ll also discuss your estimated mortality risk if you undergo this surgery. The risk varies between patients depending on their weight and other health conditions. The average risk to life after bariatric surgery is around 1 in 500, to put this in perspective, the average risk of death after a hip replacement is 1 in 250. Overall, we emphasise that weight loss surgery has become extremely safe surgery with excellent outcomes

As with all medical procedures, individual results and experiences can vary and long term effects rely on patients making changes to their lifestyle.

When you commit to Blackrock WeightCare’s package of aftercare, you give yourself the best chance of attaining the best outcome from your operation. We are focussed on all of our patients maximising benefits of their operation and optimising their well-being. Your best long-term health is our priority.