Gastric bypass in Turkey is a surgical procedure for weight loss. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia in an operating room. Before the surgery, the patient should fast for about 10 hours. One day before the surgery, blood thinners are administered in sufficient dosage to prevent blood clotting.

Gastric bypass surgery is performed using the laparoscopic method, known as the closed method. A laparoscope, a thin tube equipped with a tiny video camera (30 cm long), is inserted into the skin through several incisions (5 to 10 mm long). Long rods with a structure thinner than a ballpoint pen are inserted into the abdomen.

With the help of these rods and staples, a gastric pouch (3 cm wide and 3 cm long) is formed in the part of the stomach adjacent to the esophagus. A site of the small intestine approximately 200 cm distal to the ligamentum Treitz is anastomosed to the gastric pouch (i.e., up to 200 cm of the upper portion of the intestine is bypassed) to reduce digestion.

The anesthesiologist performs what is called a ‘leak test’ by inflating the stomach with blue-colored fluid to check the strength of the staple suture between the new stomach pouch and the intestine. This test is also done with air and sometimes with both air and liquid. The operation is completed without removing any part of the stomach by suturing the incisions to the skin.