What are the benefits of gastric bypass surgery?

Gastric bypass surgery is a well-proven procedure where patients commonly lose 60 to 70% of their excess weight over 18 to 24 months. It is particularly effective for achieving long-term remission of Type II diabetes and quickly improving high blood pressure and sleep apnoea.

How do I choose between Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy?

Both procedures show similar degrees of weight loss over a five-year time frame. However, patients with Type II diabetes and those with gastric reflux generally have better results with the gastric bypass.

How does a gastric bypass work?

It works by suppressing hunger, limiting portion sizes via a smaller stomach pouch, and reducing the absorption of food by bypassing approximately 1.5 metres of the small bowel.

What is the cost of gastric bypass surgery?

The cost varies according to your private health cover. Our comprehensive fee (from $7,000 with adequate private health insurance) includes your initial consultation with the surgeon, physician, clinical psychologist, dietitian, exercise professional, and comprehensive aftercare.

What are the specific risks and complications of a gastric bypass?

Possible complications include a leak where the bowel joins the stomach (less than 1% risk for first-time surgery), narrowing of the join (stenosis), dumping syndrome, internal hernias (less than 5% lifetime risk), anastomotic ulcers, and vitamin deficiencies.

What is Dumping Syndrome?

Dumping syndrome is a possible side-effect in the first few months after gastric bypass, usually caused by eating high fat or high sugar foods. It can cause cold sweats, nausea, dizziness, or diarrhoea, and is managed by dietary adjustments.

What are the general risks of weight loss surgery?

General surgical risks include the risks of anaesthetic, bleeding, infections, damage to other organs, the potential need to convert to an open operation, and blood clots to the legs or lungs. We take maximum precautions to minimise all of these risks.

Where can I get a gastric bypass consultation?

Our experienced surgeons can discuss Gastric Bypass surgery with you at our Dandenong North, Berwick, Frankston, Warragul, or Cranbourne locations in Victoria.

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Summary:

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass creates a smaller stomach and bypasses part of the small intestine, and is particularly effective for type 2 diabetes and reflux. Our Melbourne surgeons have performed it by keyhole surgery since 2009. You are supported by our multidisciplinary team of surgeons, a Specialist GP, dietitians, a psychologist and an exercise professional, with lifelong follow up. It is from $7,000 with private health insurance covering weight loss surgery. We are based in Dandenong North, with consulting rooms in Berwick, Frankston, Cranbourne and Warragul.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Laparoscopic (keyhole) gastric bypass is a well established obesity surgery which creates a smaller stomach and bypasses part of the small intestine, reducing the absorption of food. At LapSurgery we have been performing this procedure since 2009. It is particularly effective for patients with Type 2 diabetes.

There are several slightly different ways of performing a gastric bypass, at LapSurgery Australia we perform the most commonly used version referred to as a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Whilst it is a more complex operation than the sleeve gastrectomy or the gastric band, it can be performed with keyhole surgery.

Gastric bypass, stomach bypass, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and RYGB all describe this operation. Many surgeons regard it as the gold standard obesity operation, and it is performed as keyhole surgery by our Melbourne bariatric surgeons, with two bariatric trained surgeons at every operation.

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Gastric bypass surgery has been performed for over 30 years and its effectiveness is well proven
Gastric bypass surgery is now usually performed with keyhole surgery
Complication rates are very low
Patients commonly lose 60 to 70% of their excess weight over 18 to 24 months
Patients with type II diabetes experience improvement in diabetes control, often within days of the operation
Many patients with Type II diabetes can achieve long-term remission
Associated conditions such as high blood pressure and sleep apnoea often improve quickly after surgery
Hospital stay is 3 to 4 days when performed with laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery
Patients can be back at work in as little as two to three weeks depending on the job
You will be able to eat (small amounts of) most food types
Long-term follow-up, as in all bariatric operations, is vital.

At LapSurgery Australia we perform each of the major types of weight loss surgery. In most cases we do not recommend the gastric banding so the choice lies between the sleeve gastrectomy and the gastric bypass. Studies comparing the two over five-year time frames show very similar degrees of weight loss.

However, patients with Type II diabetes and those with gastric reflux have better results with the gastric bypass. The choice of operation will be discussed with you very thoroughly, and in the end, we present the facts and you make the decision as to which form of surgery suits you best.

Gastric bypass is generally considered when your BMI is 35 or above, or 30 or above with a weight related health condition such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, high cholesterol, gout or liver disease. For people of Asian descent, lower thresholds apply: a BMI of 32.5 or above, or 27.5 or above with a weight related condition. Because the bypass is particularly effective for type 2 diabetes and reflux, it is often the recommended option for patients with these conditions.

BMI is only the starting point. Your overall health, weight history and readiness for long term lifestyle change are all assessed by our surgeons and multidisciplinary team. No GP referral is needed to book a consultation, although a referral entitles you to a Medicare rebate and we can help you arrange one.

Check your eligibility with our BMI calculator

The gastric bypass works in four different ways:

1. Suppression of hunger

After Gastric Bypass surgery, food coming down the oesophagus enters the small stomach remnant pouch. Food sits in this part of the stomach for a few minutes and stimulates the nerve endings in the top of the stomach. These nerve endings are there to tell the brain when the stomach is physically full. Of course, the stomach is nowhere near full but the brain doesn't know that! Appetite is then turned off and this reduction of hunger is what makes it possible to eat much less food without the strong hunger that you get when you go on a strict diet.

2. Limited portion sizes

As the capacity of the upper part of the stomach is much less you simply can't get a lot down! But don't worry; you can eat enough to stay healthy. Food passes reasonably quickly into the small bowel so as long as you eat slowly, enjoy your food and don't rush you should have no problems.

3. Some of the food you eat will not be absorbed by your body

After food exits the small upper stomach it travels along the small bowel for about 1½ metres before it joins with the bypassed part of the small bowel. So in the one and a half metres of this limb there is food but fewer digestive enzymes. Food can't be absorbed without digestive enzymes. So it's not until around 2 metres along the small bowel until there is both food and digestive enzymes so that absorption can take place. That means that 2 metres or so of your small bowel no longer absorbs food.

4. Changes to gut hormones

After the bypass, food reaches the lower part of the small bowel sooner than it normally would. This triggers an earlier release of gut hormones that reduce appetite and improve the way your body handles blood sugar. This hormonal effect is a major reason why patients with type 2 diabetes often see their diabetes control improve within days of the operation, well before significant weight has been lost.

When comparing costs, please be aware that our costs include all of the following:

Initial consultation with Surgeon
Pre-operative assessment with Specialist Physician
Clinical Psychologist consultation
Dietitian consultations inclusive of 1x pre-operative, 3x post-operative appointments
Exercise professional appointment
Surgeon and Assistant Surgeon
Access to on-call Surgeon at all times
Comprehensive after care at Medicare rebate

Our operations are performed only in Private Hospitals. These costs can vary according to your particular private health cover. It may be possible to fund this out of pocket cost from your Superannuation.

See if you are eligible for the Gastric Bypass, and check out our quote generator here:

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Patients commonly lose 60 to 70 per cent of their excess weight over 18 to 24 months after gastric bypass. The health results reach beyond the scales: patients with type 2 diabetes typically see improvement in diabetes control within days of the operation, many achieve long term remission, and conditions such as high blood pressure, reflux and sleep apnoea often improve quickly. Individual results vary, and long term follow up with our multidisciplinary team is essential to maintaining your result.

Eating after a gastric bypass progresses in stages, guided by our bariatric dietitian. You begin with fluids, move to pureed foods, then soft foods, over approximately four to six weeks, before settling into a normal healthy diet in small portions. You will be able to eat small amounts of most food types, though very high fat or high sugar foods can trigger dumping syndrome and are best avoided.

Because part of the small bowel no longer absorbs food, daily multivitamins are essential for life, and you will have regular blood tests through our follow up program to keep your nutrition on track, including dietitian reviews and a Specialist Physician review with comprehensive blood tests.

Most Gold tier hospital policies that include weight loss surgery cover gastric bypass. If you are taking out or upgrading cover, a waiting period, usually 12 months for pre existing conditions, generally applies before you can claim. Medicare item numbers apply and contribute to the rebates available.

Gastric bypass at LapSurgery Australia is performed in private hospitals across Melbourne's south east and, unlike our sleeve gastrectomy, does not currently have an uninsured package, so adequate private health insurance is the usual pathway. It may be possible to fund out of pocket costs through the compassionate release of superannuation. Our team can help you understand your cover and confirm your costs before you commit to anything.

All surgery involves some risk. Risks can be broken down into two groups, those related to surgery in general and those specific to the operation being performed. Risks of surgery in general include risks of anaesthetics, infections inside the abdomen and in the wound, lung problems, blood clots in the leg or lungs and, very rarely, death. If you have other health problems such as heart or lung problems, diabetes, smoking the general risks of surgery are increased.

When assessing the risks of surgery you must also consider and balance the risks of not having the surgery and remaining significantly overweight

These will be discussed in detail with you prior to the operation by your surgeon.

Complications in the first couple of weeks

The major risk in the first two weeks is that the join of the small bowel to the stomach does not heal properly and gastric fluid leaks into the abdominal cavity causing peritonitis. This occurs in less than one in 100 operations in people who have not had previous gastric surgery. However, in people who have had a gastric band or a gastric stapling operation in the past the chance of a leak is higher and must be fully discussed with your surgeon before going ahead. Learn more about gastric bypass surgery here.

Should a leak occur, this is a very major complication which may well involve further surgery. This could include a major abdominal incision rather than keyhole surgery.

Hospital stay in this event could stretch into some weeks and involve a stay in the intensive care unit. Exactly how we deal with this complication can vary from person to person but, one way or another, the leak will seal and you should make a full recovery and still achieve very good results.

Complications occurring weeks, months or years after the operation

Narrowing of the join between the small bowel and the stomach.

Occasionally, the join between the upper part of the stomach and the small bowel can narrow down and cause difficulty swallowing. This is easily fixed with a gastroscopy and dilatation performed under sedation with only a couple of hours in the hospital. This usually only occurs in the first few weeks after the operation, not later on.

Dumping syndrome

Dumping syndrome is a possible side-effect of the gastric bypass surgery particularly in the first two or three months after the operation. Dumping syndrome is usually caused by eating a high fat or high sugar food. After eating, you may feel more mild symptoms like cold sweats or nausea or you may have a more severe reaction causing dizziness, diarrhoea or vomiting. The symptoms usually last a short time but you may experience symptoms of low blood sugar levels 1-3 hours after eating and need to eat a high carbohydrate food. If this is happening more than occasionally, keeping a food record and a visit to our dietitian should get things back to normal very quickly.

Internal Hernias

When we rearrange parts of the small bowel for the gastric bypass there are two places where we create a “hole” where part of the small bowel could get stuck. This can cause intermittent severe abdominal pain or even a complete blockage of the bowel. It is not always easy to diagnose and should always be considered if you have an episode of severe abdominal pain even some years after the operation. We are now very conscious of this possibility and part of every operation involves closing the two holes where the small bowel can get stuck. Even so there remains a small possibility that this could happen in the future. Surgery would probably be required and may not be able to be done with keyhole surgery. The chance of this happening is less than 5% for the rest of your life.

Ulcer at the join of the small bowel and the stomach pouch (Anastomotic Ulcer)

This is an uncommon condition and usually can be fixed with acid reducing tablets and some variation to diet.

Weight gain

Unfortunately, a small number of patients will either not lose the expected amount of weight or will, at a later date, put some of the weight back on. It is vital that you understand that the bypass is a tool to help keep your weight down. It is not a procedure which can protect you forever from gaining weight. You must realise that you have a genetic predisposition to weight gain and that long-term attention to the principles of healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle are essential to maintain your weight loss results. Long-term follow-up, which we provide at LapSurgery Australia, is absolutely essential to your long-term success. If there you see any significant weight gain you must see us immediately so that we can help you. Unfortunately, some people feel they have failed if their weight starts to increase and feel too embarrassed to come back and see us. The more weight you put on before seeking help, the more difficult it will be to reverse. We will never make you feel embarrassed about any weight gain; we are here to help you.

Vitamin deficiency

Following weight loss surgery each patient has the potential of vitamin deficiency and so LapSurgery Australia recommend to all patients that they take daily multivitamins in order to reduce the risks of other medical conditions such as osteoporosis, thiamine deficiency and other conditions. More information is given to patients at the time of consultation.

The following are the commonest of the complications but please note that this is not a comprehensive list of possible complications but does cover most events.

The Risk of the Anaesthetic

Anaesthetic risks are extremely low because when you come to your operation any conditions which might increase your anaesthetic risk such as high blood pressure, diabetes or sleep apnoea will have been brought under control. All of our anaesthetists are experienced with dealing with the specific problems of patients with excess weight and have full access to all of the tests and information gathered during your preoperative assessment.

Bleeding

Although uncommon, bleeding can occur during an otherwise routine operation and could require blood transfusion and possibly abandoning the laparoscopic (keyhole) approach for a major incision in the abdomen. Occasionally, after a routine operation, bleeding can commence some hours after an operation and require a return to the operating theatre.

Infections

Again these are uncommon with laparoscopic surgery, but occasionally one of the small keyhole wounds can become infected and require antibiotics or drainage. Uncommonly, an infection inside the abdominal cavity or the chest can occur.

Damage to Other Organs

Although uncommon, during laparoscopic surgery it is possible to inadvertently damage another organ such as the spleen or the bowel. Normally this can be diagnosed and repaired during the operation but very rarely this damage may not be obvious until some hours or even days after the procedure and will then require appropriate management.

Conversion to Open Operation

Rarely, it is not possible to complete an operation with keyhole surgery and a full abdominal incision may be necessary. This is more likely to be the case if you have had previous surgery on your stomach such as a gastric band or stomach stapling.

Blood Clots to the Legs or Lung (Pulmonary Embolus)

Blood clots to the legs or the lungs are a very serious complication. At LapSurgery we use the maximum protection against this occurring. Shortly before the operation you will be given a blood thinning injection and have stockings placed on your legs. A further device will also be placed on your legs which keeps pumping blood through your legs whilst you're asleep to minimise the chance of a clot forming whilst you are on the operating table.

Using these precautions and the early mobilisation after the surgery that is possible with the keyhole operation, these complications have been uncommon in our patients.

The team at LAPSurgery Australia are recognised for their exceptional and major contribution to the Government sponsored Bariatric Safety Registry (BSR). The BSR tracks surgical complications and provides an unbiased safety record for weight loss surgery.

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Related Procedures

Sleeve Gastrectomy

Our most common procedure, reducing stomach size without rerouting the bowel.

Learn more

One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass

A technically simpler bypass with one join instead of two.

Learn more

SADI Surgery

A newer procedure combining sleeve gastrectomy with intestinal bypass for maximum effect.

Learn more

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about gastric bypass surgery

Generally a BMI of 35 or above, or 30 or above with a weight related health condition such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, high cholesterol, gout or liver disease. Lower thresholds apply for people of Asian descent. Our BMI calculator gives you an immediate indication.

Studies comparing the two over five year time frames show very similar weight loss. However, patients with type 2 diabetes or gastric reflux generally have better results with the bypass. At your consultation we present the facts for your situation and you make the decision.

Patients commonly lose 60 to 70 per cent of their excess weight over 18 to 24 months. Individual results vary, and long term success depends on the lifestyle changes our multidisciplinary team supports you through.

Diabetes control typically improves within days of the operation, before significant weight is lost, and many patients achieve long term remission. Outcomes depend on how long you have had diabetes and your individual circumstances, which your surgeon and our Specialist Physician will discuss with you.

From $7,000 for patients with private health insurance covering weight loss surgery, including your surgical team, Specialist Physician, psychologist, dietitian and exercise professional consultations and comprehensive after care. A full written quote is provided after your consultation.

You progress from fluids to pureed foods to soft foods over approximately four to six weeks, then settle into small portions of most food types. Very high fat or high sugar foods can trigger dumping syndrome and are best avoided. Daily multivitamins are essential for life.

Dumping syndrome is a possible side effect of gastric bypass, usually triggered by high fat or high sugar foods, causing symptoms such as nausea, cold sweats, dizziness or diarrhoea. It is most common in the first two to three months, settles quickly, and a visit to our dietitian usually gets things back to normal.

Have more questions? We're here to help.

Gastric Bypass Research and News

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30 October 2026

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Back to weight loss solutions

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Summary:

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric Bypass Facts at a Glance

Gastric Bypass vs Gastric Sleeve: Which Is Right for You?

Gastric Bypass Requirements: Do I Qualify?

How Gastric Bypass Works

Gastric Bypass Cost in Melbourne

Gastric Bypass Results and Expected Weight Loss

What You Eat After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Health Insurance for Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric Bypass Risks

Gastric Bypass Complications

Gastric Bypass Consulting Locations in Melbourne

Risks Common to All Types of Surgery

Discussing Gastric Bypass Surgery With Your Surgeon

Video Hub

From Appointment to Assessment

Marilyn's Story

Are you a candidate?

Related Procedures

Sleeve Gastrectomy

One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass

SADI Surgery

Your Next Steps

Book a Consultation

View Pricing

Support Program

Patient Stories

Frequently Asked Questions

Gastric Bypass Research and News

Does Gastric Bypass Help Type 2 Diabetes More Than Gastric Sleeve?

Does Weight Loss Surgery Put Type 2 Diabetes into Remission Long Term?

How Much Does Gastric Bypass Surgery Cost in Australia?

Is Weight Loss Surgery Safe for People with Heart Failure?

Does Weight Loss Surgery Affect Men and Women Differently?

How Does SADI Surgery Compare to Gastric Bypass for Weight Loss?

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