Many people with severe obesity have experienced the nightmare of “lose weight – regain weight -” and are eager to try weight loss surgery. But the thought of having to go under the knife in the stomach and intestines is scary. Here’s a look at the risks of gastric bypass surgery, one of the mainstays of bariatric surgery. Although gastric bypass surgery is a gastrointestinal surgery, its safety is very high and the complication rate is lower than that of appendicitis surgery, which is a “minor surgery” in everyone’s eyes. This is a surprising observation for many people. Is it really possible that bariatric surgery, which involves both the stomach and the intestines, has a lower complication rate than appendicitis surgery? In 2014, scholar Peter Benotti counted 185,315 bariatric surgeries with a perioperative 30-day complication rate of 0.1%, of which 81,751 were gastric diversion surgeries with a 30-day complication rate of 0.15%. In contrast, the 30-day postoperative complication rate for appendicitis surgery, a minor procedure with which we are familiar, is 1.8%, and the complication rate for cholecystectomy is approximately 0.5%. This shows that gastric bypass surgery is much less risky than these two so-called “minor surgeries” and has a high safety margin. On the other hand, in the obese population, the risk of death was 8 times higher in patients who did not undergo surgery compared to those who underwent bariatric surgery, while patients who underwent bariatric and diabetic surgery had a significantly lower relative risk of death by 89% compared to those who did not undergo surgery. What does this mean? It means that even if there is a risk of death from surgery, obese people will live longer after having weight loss surgery. From this point of view, the surgery is worth doing. Of course, any surgery has risks, just like driving on the road, the patient’s own related factors (including heart, lung, liver and kidney function, high BMI, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, mobility problems, etc.) are like road conditions and weather, if the car is driving in potholes, high mountain streams, slippery roads, lightning and thunder, the risk may be greater. In particular, the safety of surgery is closely related to the technical level of the surgeon in charge, by the experienced surgeon in charge, the surgical team, the anesthesia team, the multidisciplinary team to develop an individualized treatment plan, strict control of all aspects, the risk factor will be greatly reduced, just like a strict “old driver” on the road, the accident rate will be much lower than the novice. With the cooperation of a professional team, weight loss surgery is no more frightening than appendicitis or gallbladder surgery. The benefits of bariatric surgery are far greater than the risks, as the quality of life improves and the average life expectancy increases.