Complications greater with VSG or RNY?

Hi there, my girlfriend is wanting surgery and she is not at all sure which one would work best for her. She's just under 280 lbs and about 5 foot 3 or 4 inches. I overheard her say her BMI is about at 47. I'm completely unaware of what is the best or worst surgery, but I'm naturally worried about her undergoing any surgery. Has anyone had complications you can share?

although there are statistically more complications with the RNY, neither surgery has particularly high complication rates. Or at at least major complications. There are minor ones associated with both surgeries, most of which are tolerable, manageable, or "fixable".

I had a stricture with my RNY - those usually occur (when they do occur, that is) 1-3 months post surgery. Easy fix. They supposedly happen to about 5% of RNY patients, and as such, they're one of the more common complications (if you can call 5% "common").

If your girlfriend has GERD, they'll usually recommend RNY, since that often improves if not outright cures it. VSG can make it worse. It doesn't happen to everyone, or even to the majority, but it happens to a significant enough minority that they'll usually steer you to RNY if you're a GERD sufferer.

outside of the GERD issue, it pretty much comes down to personal preference. I'd suggest doing a lot of reading to see if she's more comfortable with one or the other. They're both good surgeries and you'll find people on here who've been successful with both.

There are a few other conditions, such as diabetes or PCOS, where one surgery might be preferred over the other. Best to discuss this with your surgeon. As catwoman7 said, your personal preference is an important factor.

My understanding is that while there is strong scientific evidence that both surgeries are effective, there isn't (yet) strong evidence that one surgery is significantly better unless the patient has certain conditions. So ask the surgeon which surgery he or she has seen work best in patients like you.