The saphenous vein is not the preferred conduit for bypass grafts. Arteries in the arms and chest wall are now most commonly used. Other veins are available, if needed. Also, the abnormal saphenous vein is usually not suitable for a bypass graft even if present.

After your Gastric Bypass surgery, you will begin to awaken in the post-op recovery room, in what may seem like just an instant. Many patients will have little or no recollection of being there, a normal side effect of the medicine given to you during anesthesia. Ordinarily, your breathing tube is removed from your throat as you begin awakening - usually before you are aware of it being there. You will be started on pain medication by the nurses in recovery as soon as you need it.

If the veins were functioning normally, then yes! But since the veins are dilated and not working properly, they are doing more harm than good. Heart doctors do not use varicose veins for bypass surgery for this very reason! Most patients say that the procedure does not hurt at all. You will feel the pin prick of the needle as we inject the anesthetic, but then the area is instantly numb. You will not feel any of the “stabs”. You will not feel pain from the veins being removed.

Most surgeons recommend a daily multivitamin, calcium, and vitamin B12 for the rest of your life. B12 injections are sometimes suggested once a month for the first year and every six months thereafter. B12 may also be taken orally or sublingually (under the tongue) by most patients. The dietician will provide specific guidelines on necessary vitamin supplementation, dependant upon your surgical procedure.

This is a surgical procedure to repair blocked coronary arteries of the heart. Once an artery has become partially blocked, blood must be rerouted around the block. Sometimes arteries from the chest or vein graphs from the leg are used to bypass the blocked artery.

seen above, a coronary blockage can be angioplastied or stented. Some patients, however, are not good candidates for angioplasty. These include patients that have blockages in all three coronary arteries or who have anatomy that is not amenable to angioplasty, such as a completely (100%) occluded artery. In these patients, coronary bypass, or "open heart surgery," is considered.

Bypass surgery improves the blood flow to the heart with a new route, or "bypass," around a section of clogged or diseased artery. The surgery involves sewing a section of vein or artery from the leg or chest (called a graft) to bypass a part of the diseased coronary artery. This creates a new route for blood to flow, so that the heart muscle will get the oxygen-rich blood it needs to work properly. Coronary bypass surgery has proved safe and effective for many patients who have the procedure.

Ironically, many surgeons only do one or the other. Some of them have only been trained to do one of these procedures, some only believe in one, and some do not have the skills to do one. Click here for more information.

Yes. Most patients have had at least one of these procedures. They come for EECP because they still experience cardiovascular symptoms.

Bypass / Angioplasty are temporary solutions to increase the blood flow to the heart. They do not stop the disease process nor do they go to the root cause of disease. In bypass alternate passage is created as shown the blockages remains. After few years reblockages is quite common. In angioplasty the blockage is scrapped and stent is inserted so it is merely reduced in size. Hence with few months to 2-3 years problem occurs.

Gastric bypass surgery provides an effective tool to limit the amount of food eaten and to change how food calories are absorbed. It must be understood that the surgery is not magic: it works with you, not for you. By working consistantly to make appropriate food choices and behavioral changes, a successful, long-term health impact is possible.

The LAP-BAND® System is a silicone band that is placed around the stomach, creating a small upper stomach pouch that prevents a patient from eating excessively. It is only a restrictive device (not a malabsorptive one), and can be adjusted and/or removed, if necessary. The procedure to place the band is done laparoscopically on an outpatient basis, so our patients go home the same day as surgery in most cases.

ObesityCare.com's mission is to provide information about severe obesity and the treatment there of. Our service is informational only. To find a doctor who can do your gastric bypass surgery or lap band procedure, we recommend using ObesityDirectory.com. It is a nation wide directory (United States) and all of the bariatric surgeons listed are members of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

Surgery, stents or angioplasty only provide temporary relief for blocked arteries - they do not deal with the root of the problem. Without lifestyle changes, arteries will soon plug up again.

Doctors take a substitute blood vessel from another part of the body. It's safe to do this because the body has other ways of getting blood to areas. The surgeon then attaches one end of the graft to the aorta and the other end to the coronary artery below the blockage. The traditional operation calls for a six- to eight-inch cut down the center of the breastbone so the surgeon can get directly at the heart.

We will schedule a pre-operative visit during which the doctor will fill-out hospital forms, go over your medical history, current medications, allergies etc. and perform a complete physical examination.  You will also be given the opportunity to ask questions about the procedure, hospitalization, complications, etc.

When the tumor is removed, it is sent for frozen section.  This means that the pathologist will freeze a piece, slice it very thin and color it with various dyes that help in deciding what kind of tumor it is and if it is malignant or benign. When superficial, benign tumors are treated with excision of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. Deep tumors may require a total parotidectomy or excision of the portion of the tumor that is deep to the facial nerve.

When you wake up from surgery, you will be transported to the recovery room (PACU), where would spend about 30 minutes to an hour, until you are fully awake and stable for transportation to your room. You will notice a drain tube attached to your clothes or a necklace. This is usually removed the next day.  Please do not pull on the drain or try to empty the attached plastic bulb. The nurses have standing orders to give you antibiotics, pain killers and medications for nausea and vomiting.

In the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the rest of the stomach is disconnected from the new stomach pouch and left intact. It still has a blood supply and drains any small amount of fluid through the small intestine, or duodenum. Because it is not used, it shrinks in size and stays dormant.

The old stomach remains in the same position as before surgery. The stomach is still connected to other organs in the abdomen and still produces stomach acids after surgery. However, the stomach acids do not meet the food until farther down the intestinal tract after surgery.

The unused part of the stomach remains in place. Although not used, its ability to function remains intact.

The operation is performed laparoscopically and takes approximately 2 hours. The upper part of the stomach is divided and joined onto the small bowel so that the main reservoir of the stomach and some part of small bowel are bypassed. The hospital stay is 3 to 5 days. Fluid is started on the first postoperative day and built up to full diet by six weeks. ^TOP^

Despite the billions of dollars spent yearly by consumers on weight loss programs and dietary supplements, no medical treatment has been demonstrated to sustain a long term weight loss in a significant number of men or women. In fact, the 1992 NIH consensus statement concerning obesity asserts that medical treatment is considered ineffective in 95% of patients.

You have failed repeated, medically-supervised attempts at losing weight and controlling your obesity You are 100 pounds over your ideal body weight and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 40, or a BMI of 35 (approximately 80 pounds over ideal body weight) if you have a serious associated medical complication or other obesity-related disease(s) You have had a consultation with one of our Bariatric Surgeons and have been determined to be a surgical candidate.

Like every operation, there is a risk. Because you may already have health-related problems, there is an increased risk of complications. Your doctor should thoroughly screen you to make sure that there are no surprises on the operating table.