Duodenal Switch Complications

There are several early risks associated with the duodenal switch that can include things like dehiscence, infection, leaks caused by the breakdown of the gastric staples, stomal stenosis, deep thrombo-phlebitis and even ulcers. The good news is that even if you were to combine the chances of getting deep thrombo-phlebitis or gastric stapling leakage it will still fall under 1% of all duodenal switch patients.

There may also be a risk of complications which will require latter corrective surgery for the patients. In the event that one requires a corrective procedure the risks associated with the corrective surgery will be greater than if they were done alone.

Although dumping syndrome is not usually associated with the duodenal switch surgery since the pyloric valve is left fully functional it is still possible for this to occur as a postoperative complication. Furthermore one of the biggest risks associated with the duodenal switch weight loss surgery is that of nutritional deficiencies cause by the body’s in ability to absorb nutrients through the intestinal tract. By making sure that you follow with the suggestive guidelines your surgeon will give you in regards to your diet you will be able to overcome this risk as well as overcoming the chance of anemia or osteoporosis.

The chances that you may have a complication depends on the particular complication with only .7% of all patients suffering from deep vein thrombo-phlebitis and .5% for non-fatal pulmonary embolus you can see that the chances of having a complication is rather small as compared to other weight loss surgeries. There are also several lung complications that one may incur like pneumonia or an acute respiratory distress syndrome. You will have a .9% chance of getting a splenectomy, 2% chance of having a gastric leak with a fistula, 1.5% chance of forming a duodenal leak and a half of a percent chance of suffering from postoperative bleeding.