Facts About Duodenal Switch Surgery In Mexico

By Jocelyn Davidson


The surgical procedure to do a duodenal switch combines mal-absorptive and restrictive surgery meant for losing weight. This procedure reduces the food quantity one is able to take and the amount of calories the body can absorb and utilize. The surgical procedure is used to create a stomach pouch of moderate size and bypassing some section of the small intestine. For people that look to go for duodenal switch surgery in Mexico, it is essential that they know what to expect.

The surgery is performed either in a hospital or surgical center. To begin with, half-inch long incisions are made in stomach areas as well as in the middle of the abdomen. These incisions are made such that the stomach remains attached to the first segment of the small intestine. The first segment of the small intestine is known as the duodenum. It is then separated from other sections of the ileum.

The duodenum then gets attached to the last segment of the small intestine. The second and third sections of the small intestine are bypassed. Thereafter, the surgeon has to confirm that there are no leakages prior to removing the instruments used for the procedure. This is then followed by closure of the incisions. There are many ways of closing the incisions but the most common is the use of absorbable sutures or sterile tapes.

The procedure has excellent results. The average patient loses about 70 or 80 percent of their excess weight within two years of the procedure. Patients that go for this procedure are more likely to suffer from nutritional deficiencies than with other surgery types. For the lifetime of the patient, they will have to be using nutritional supplements such as minerals and vitamins. These will prevent nutritional deficiencies.

In the long term, the majority of patients that opt for the procedure will have lasting outcomes. Since the body cannot absorb all the food that is taken in, one does not need to consider lifestyle changes as with the other forms of bariatric surgery. Further, patients can eat larger food portions compared to those that go for the other restrictive surgeries. This allows for greater satisfaction in patients.

There are various advantages of the procedure. The normal stomach will enable those affected to have better eating quality. Because of the removal of the stomach portion that manufactures the hormone that stimulates hunger, hunger and appetite will be greatly reduced. There will be no increase in formation of ulcer for those using anti-inflammatory drugs. Besides, the intestinal bypass can be reversed partially for people having mal-absorptive complications.

There are some disadvantages as well. For instance, there is increase probability of suffering from chronic diarrhea and gas. With increased mal-absorption, one could suffer from anemia, lack of proteins and metabolic diseases of bones. About 15 percent of people are affected by these conditions. Excessive intake of carbohydrates leads to abdominal pain or insufficient weight loss. There could also be regaining of weight in the long term.

Being a surgical procedure, there are some expected complications. Some of them are post-operative nausea, duodenal leak, fistula and small bowel obstruction. The complications are however not common especially when the procedure is done professionally.




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