We are nationally recognized specialists who are pioneering how people look at weight loss surgery, offering new hope for weight loss. Our surgery teams work together with our medical weight management experts, who specialize in non-surgical therapies such as medications, diet, exercise, and psychological counseling.

The biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (“BPD/DS”) surgery involves two parts: removing a portion of the stomach to decrease the amount of food it can hold (thus creating a “sleeve”), and forming a bypass of the small intestine to reduce the absorption of calories. Although this surgery can produce the greatest weight loss (100 to 120 pounds for someone 150 pounds overweight), it is used less frequently because it may lead to severe malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies. This procedure is appropriate for a patient with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 50 or a patient who is 150 or more pounds overweight.

After duodenal switch surgery, a patient must commit to a regimen of vitamins and see a provider familiar with malabsorptive anatomy regularly for the rest of life to monitor nutritional status and bone health.

The American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery have designated the University of Minnesota Medical Center a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. Blue Cross and Blue Shield has provided us a Blue Distinction Plus (+) designation for bariatric surgery, which recognizes us for our expertise and efficiency in delivering this type of specialty care. In addition to offering an experienced, comprehensive approach to treating obesity as a disease, our surgeons participate in academic-based research and offer clinical trial opportunities that feature new approaches to weight loss.

Risks for abdominal surgery

Weight loss surgery is a major surgery with risks. These risks are the same as for any surgery on the abdomen (belly). Possible complications include:

• Breathing problems
• Pneumonia
• Infection
• Bleeding at the incision sites
• Blockage in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
• Leaks at the site where the stomach or intestines are sewn together
• Blood clots in the logs causing leg pain
• Blood clots in the lungs that can cause chest pain or trouble breathing

Risks for the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch

In addition to the general abdominal surgery risks, the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch also puts patients at risk of:

• Leaks at the staple line
• Narrowing of the stomach, esophagus or intestines (stricture)
• More bowel movements (at least five times a day) that may be loose with bad-smelling gas
• Anemia
• Severe vitamin and protein deficiencies