There are risks associated with any abdominal surgery. A patient’s weight, age and medical history play a significant role in determining specific risks. Your surgeon will inform you about your specific risks for bariatric surgery. Risks associated with any abdominal surgery include:
- Complications due to anesthesia
- Wound infections
- Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) – clots in the lower extremities
- Pulmonary Embolism (PE) – clots that travel to the lungs
- Pneumonia – infection of the lung
- Atelectasis – collapse of part of the lung and decreased lung volume. Most often due to the patient taking incomplete breaths. It is prevented by encouraging deep breathing and early ambulation.
- Stroke or heart attack
- Intra-abdominal infections
- Injury to intra-abdominal organs or structures
- Death