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ariatric Surgery

Morbid obesity is generally defined by doctors as weighing more than 100 pounds over a person's ideal weight. Nearly 10 million people in America fall into that category, and people are choosing gastric bypass surgery to cure their problem. While gastric bypass surgery can be safe and effective if performed by a well qualified and experienced surgeon in a hospital dedicated to the weight-loss surgery patient, it can also be dangerous and deadly when performed incorrectly or when a hospital negligently fails to properly monitor the post-gastric bypass patient.

The surgeon, either in an open procedure or a laparoscopic procedure, reduces the stomach's capacity to hold food by stapling off a large portion of the stomach and creating a small pouch from the remainder stomach. The surgeon then cuts the small intestine and sutures it into the stomach pouch. Gastric bypass (also known as stomach stapling) causes weight loss by limiting the amount of food a person can digest and preventing some calories from being absorbed because a portion of the intestine is bypassed.

Due to its popularity, more and more doctors are performing gastric bypass surgeries. Hospitals across the state and nation are opening gastric bypass units. Typically, doctors charge about $6,000 for the surgery, performing as many as eight or more a week. Hospitals charge about $20,000 for the hospital stay of the patient, and some hospitals may allow as many as 20 surgeries to be performed each week. Needless to say, the surgery is not only popular, but lucrative. In 2002, it is estimated that hospitals made over two billion dollars from gastric bypass surgeries. Unfortunately, though, not all of the doctors performing the surgeries have undergone proper training, and not all of the hospitals have adequately trained their nurses. As a result, patients have experienced needless wrongful deaths, infections and life-threatening abdominal leaks. Before you consider having this type of operation you should research the experience level of the doctor and the hospital, as well as the complications and long-term effects of gastric bypass.

If you or a loved one has suffered complications requiring re-operation soon after surgery, or if your loved one died following the surgery, you may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about your rights or for a free consultation, contact Scott Allen at 1-800-798-2613.

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McAlester Office
343 E. Carl Albert Pkwy.
McAlester, OK 74501

Phone: (918) 423-0421
or (800) 658-1596
Fax: (918) 423-0266

Oklahoma City Office
525 Central Park Dr., 101
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Phone: (405) 524-2268
or (800) 299-7299
Fax: (405) 525-3231

Tulsa Office
2417 E. Skelly Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74170

Phone: (918) 749-0749
or (800) 798-2613
Fax: (918) 747-0751

Disclaimer: The information contained throughout this site is meant to generally inform the reader about our areas of practice, including accident injury. This information is not meant to be taken as legal advice and nothing on this site establishes a lawyer / client relationship. Our accident lawyers provide legal assistance in the Tulsa area including Oklahoma City, McAlester and Norman, Oklahoma.