Your Hospital Stay After Bariatric Surgery

The length of your hospital stay largely depends on the bariatric procedure you undergo as well as your ability to heal. Gastric bands and gastric sleeves can be performed as outpatients in an outpatient facility. Generally, procedures done in the outpatient facility are kept in the recovery room for an extended period of time to assure safety of discharge. Gastric sleeves and gastric bypasses performed in the hospital generally are discharged in one to two days. Duodenal switch patients are often kept two to three days.

Some of the factors that will reduce your hospital stay will include:

Early ambulation
Motivation
Better general health before the procedure
Working on incentive spirometer at bedside to expand lungs
Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated
Positive thinking
Reduction in opioid pain medication if not needed

The day before surgery you will be asked to take a bottle of magnesium citrate to make you comfortable throughout your hospital stay. You will be asked to have nothing to eat from midnight the day of surgery until the operation. If you have sleep apnea, you will be asked to bring your CPAP device to the holding area. You will arrive 1 -2 hours prior to the procedure. The procedure will take 1 -2 hours. The patient will remain in the recovery room 1 -2 hours prior to being transported to the floor. From there, the work begins. You will be instructed and assisted to walk shortly after arrival to the floor. You will be given an incentive spirometer to expand your lungs. When you are comfortable from the procedure and it is safe to be discharged you will be sent home.

Finally, be sure you have appropriate transportation from the hospital.. You will not be able to drive both because of the surgery itself and because of the possibility of cognitive impairment from the medications you will be taking at discharge. Plan to have a loved one or family member to be available to help with care at home for the first few days.