Gastric Bypass is a procedure used to treat obesity and avoid the health problems obesity causes.  A gastric bypass first divides the stomach into a small upper pouch and a much larger, lower "remnant" pouch and then re-arranges the small intestine to allow both pouches to stay connected to it.  The result weight loss is typically dramatic. (Learn more at Wikipedia).  Doctors and hospitals have learned that this operation can be very profitable and "obesity centers" are springing up all over, typically with the support of a hospital that expects to make a lot of money hiring a surgeon to run hundreds patients a  year through an assembly-line process.  Although hospitals won't admit it, they typically make far more money on treating the complications of the gastric bypass than they do on the surgery itself.  Gastric bypass is a "profit center" for hospital corporations and surgery groups.

Unfortunately many complications can occur during a Gastric Bypass procedure.  The operation has a relatively high rate of death and postoperative complications, even in the hands of the best surgeons.  Even though the operation is marketed by some as a procedure to make a person "look and feel better", the decision to have a gastric bypass should be very carefully considered and not looked at as a panacea or a cosmetic surgery.

Expected post operation problems can include gallstones, hernia, small bowel obstructions and kidney problems.  Some of these problems come under the category of "stuff happens."  Some of them may represent problems caused by an inattentive or incompetent doctor or nurse.  You may have a gastric bypass malpractice case if any of the following apply:

• Your doctor is inexperienced.
• Your doctor failed to educate the patient and/or family of all the associated risks of the surgery and post-operation surgery.
• Your surgery was performed in a facility lacking appropriate operative monitoring, postoperative care or diagnostic tools.
• The patient died during or shortly after the procedure.
• The patient was discharged and was re-admitted to the hospital within a few days.
• Other serious complications can occur such as clotting, kidney or respiratory problems.