Cross Border Medical Connection Inc.
Bariatric surgery · Mini gastric bypass

Mini gastric bypass (OAGB) in Tijuana, Mexico

A mini gastric bypass in Tijuana, Mexico, with bariatric surgeon Dr. Edgar Serrano makes a long, narrow stomach pouch joined to your small intestine with one connection. Cross Border Medical Connection Inc. coordinates your trip, from pickup in San Diego to your hospital stay. You meet your surgeon for a consultation as you shape your plan.

Rio Medica $4,795 USDNew City Medical Plaza $5,595 USDTrip: 3 nights, 4 days · Hospital: 2 nights

Your health deserves personalized attention.

Mini gastric bypass diagram: a long narrow stomach pouch joined to a loop of small intestine in one connection
Simplified illustration, not to scale. Your surgeon will explain your exact procedure.

What does a mini gastric bypass cost?

A mini gastric bypass with Dr. Edgar Serrano costs $4,795 USD at Rio Medica and $5,595 at New City Medical Plaza, for Zelle, cash, or cashier's check. Your written plan lists what's included up front, and our coordinators walk you through both hospitals.

Zelle, cash, or cashier's check price

Prices by hospital

ProcedureRio MedicaNew City Medical Plaza
Gastric sleeveTrip: 3 nights, 4 days · Hospital: 2 nightsRio Medica $3,795 USDNew City Medical Plaza $4,595 USD
Dr. Serrano's One-Port Sleeve, a single-incision gastric sleeveTrip: 3 nights, 4 days · Hospital: 2 nightsRio Medica $4,095 USDNew City Medical Plaza $4,895 USD
Gastric bypassTrip: 3 nights, 4 days · Hospital: 2 nightsRio Medica $4,795 USDNew City Medical Plaza $5,595 USD
Mini gastric bypassTrip: 3 nights, 4 days · Hospital: 2 nightsRio Medica $4,795 USDNew City Medical Plaza $5,595 USD
Duodenal switch / SADI-STrip: 3 nights, 4 days · Hospital: 2 nightsRio Medica $5,895 USDNew City Medical Plaza $6,695 USD
Revision surgeryTrip: set after your surgeon reviews your casePersonalized quote

All prices in U.S. dollars (USD). Trip lengths follow Dr. Serrano's published plan. Your written quote confirms your total and your nights.

Prices as published by Dr. Serrano at dredgarserrano.com, as of October 23, 2026.

Your price includes:

  • Icon of a carA driver from the transportation company we hire picks you up in San Diego and drops you right back.
  • Icon of a hotel building under a crescent moonA hotel night before your procedure
  • Icon of a lab flaskPre-op tests and labs
  • Icon of a medicine vialAnesthesia for your surgery
  • Icon of a hospital buildingYour surgery and hospital stay, with 24-hour nursing care in the hospital

One team, from pickup through recovery.

For anything not on this list, your written quote confirms whether it's included.

Not included

  • Icon of an airplaneFlights
  • Icon of a bed under a crescent moonExtra hotel nights
  • Icon of a plus sign in a circleAdditional procedures
  • Icon of a plate and utensilsYour companion's meals and personal expenses

What can change your quote?

  • The hospital you choose. Your quote shows the price for that hospital.
  • Payment method. Listed totals are for Zelle, cash, or cashier's check, and your written plan shows your total for each method.
  • Extra hotel nights or additional procedures, which aren't included.

Your written quote lists what's included and what isn't, before you travel.

Most U.S. insurances do not cover in Mexico, so unfortunately we're not allowed to take them. Check with your insurance first.

Pay by Zelle, cash, cashier's check, credit card, PayPal, PayPal Credit, or Apple Pay. There is a 4% transaction fee for credit card payments.

What is a mini gastric bypass?

A mini gastric bypass, or OAGB (one-anastomosis gastric bypass), is a weight-loss surgery that makes a long, narrow stomach pouch. The pouch is joined to a loop of your small intestine with one connection. That means you eat less and absorb fewer calories. It's on the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) list of endorsed procedures.

  • A note on names: "mini sleeve" isn't a standard procedure name. If you've seen it, ask our coordinators whether you mean a gastric sleeve, a One-Port Sleeve or this mini bypass.

How does a mini gastric bypass work?

Your surgeon creates a long, narrow pouch and joins it to the small intestine farther down, skipping part of it. A traditional gastric bypass uses two connections; a mini bypass uses one.

Who is a mini gastric bypass usually for?

A mini gastric bypass is often discussed for adults living with obesity and related conditions who haven't reached their goals with other approaches. Your surgeon reviews your health history, tests and goals, then decides what's right for you.

  • Current ASMBS and IFSO guidelines (2022) look at your weight together with related diseases, for example type 2 diabetes.

What do studies say about a mini bypass?

A mini bypass is newer in the U.S. than a sleeve or traditional bypass. A 2025 IFSO review found it wasn't worse than a traditional bypass for weight loss or for type 2 diabetes. Each figure below names its measure, time point and source.

  • Excess weight loss: an average of 75% at 5 years, in a 2026 review of 32 studies with more than 19,000 people (OAGB long-term review).
  • Excess BMI loss: an average of 87.9% at 2 years after a mini bypass and 85.8% after a traditional bypass, in one 2-year trial (YOMEGA, Lancet, 2019).

Mini bypass vs traditional bypass, in one 2-year trial

What was measuredMini gastric bypassTraditional gastric bypass
ConnectionsOneTwo
Excess BMI loss at 2 years87.9%85.8%
ReversalCan be converted or sometimes reversed, as a new operationDifficult to reverse (NIDDK)

Source: YOMEGA trial, Lancet, 2019. The mini bypass in this trial skipped a 200 cm length of intestine; your surgeon's plan may differ.

How does a mini gastric bypass compare with other surgeries?

A mini bypass has one connection and a traditional bypass has two. A trial found similar weight loss and metabolic improvement at two years. A sleeve doesn't reroute your intestine. Your surgeon helps you choose.

ProcedureHow it worksReroutes intestine?Reversible?
Gastric sleeveRemoves most of the stomach; what's left is a narrow tubeNoNo
Dr. Serrano's One-Port SleeveThe same sleeve, through one small incision, usually at the navelNoNo
Gastric bypassSmall pouch joined lower in the small intestine; two connectionsYesDifficult
Mini gastric bypassLong, narrow pouch; one connectionYesCan be converted, or sometimes reversed, as a new operation
Duodenal switchSleeve plus an intestinal bypass; two connectionsYesAsk your surgeon
SADI-SSleeve plus an intestinal bypass; one connectionYesAsk your surgeon
RevisionChanges or converts an earlier surgeryDepends on the planDepends on the plan

Sources: NIDDK, ASMBS, a 2020 review (PMID 31982993).

See every weight-loss surgery and its prices

How long is the stay and recovery?

Dr. Serrano's published plan is 3 nights and 4 days: 1 hotel night before surgery and 2 nights in the hospital. Many people return to light work in about a month, once their surgeon's team clears them. Plan on about four to six weeks before heavy lifting, and only once your surgeon clears you.

Before surgery, you'll follow a pre-op diet, which can help shrink your liver. Your surgeon's team gives you a plan, including how long it lasts.

Your trip, in order:

  • Pickup in San Diego and transportation to Tijuana
  • Pre-op tests and labs, then a hotel night
  • Your surgery, then 2 nights in the hospital
  • A driver from the transportation company we hire picks you up in San Diego and drops you right back.
  • Follow-up and nutrition guidance after you return home

Your diet moves in stages over several weeks, from liquids to soft foods and then solid foods, per your surgeon's plan (NIDDK). You'll take lifelong vitamins and minerals as your surgeon's team prescribes.

What happens after you're home?

After surgery, Dr. Edgar Serrano's team gives you nutrition and recovery guidance. Weight-loss surgery needs regular follow-up, vitamins and lab checks, so before you travel, plan which doctor will see you at home, and bring copies of your surgery records to that first visit.

Planning your surgery? Read the 5 diet stages after gastric sleeve or bypass surgery, with daily fluid and protein goals.

Sources: NIDDK: Types of bariatric surgery · ASMBS nutrition guideline, 2017

What should you do before you travel?

  • Line up a doctor at home who will see you for follow-up.
  • Ask your surgeon for your follow-up plan and records in writing.
  • Start your pre-op diet as your surgeon's team instructs.
  • Bring a valid passport or other document accepted for land re-entry, and check the current rules with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
  • Fly into San Diego, and set your return date with your surgeon's team.
  • Tell our coordinators if a companion is coming with you.

Where does surgery take place?

Dr. Edgar Serrano operates at two hospitals in Tijuana. Your quote names the hospital you choose, and prices differ by hospital.

Exterior of Rio Medica hospital in Zona Río, Tijuana

Rio Medica

Exterior of New City Medical Plaza in Tijuana

New City Medical Plaza

Dr. Edgar Serrano

Dr. Edgar Serrano holds board certification in general and bariatric surgery and is certified in aesthetic surgery.

Common questions

Mini gastric bypass FAQ

What's the price of a mini gastric bypass, and how can I pay?

A mini gastric bypass costs $4,795 USD at Rio Medica and $5,595 at New City Medical Plaza, for Zelle, cash, or cashier's check. Your written plan shows your total for each option and lists what's included up front.

Is a mini gastric bypass endorsed by ASMBS?

Yes. The one-anastomosis gastric bypass is on the ASMBS list of endorsed procedures. It's newer in the U.S. than a sleeve or traditional bypass. Your surgeon can explain what that means for you.

How much weight could I lose with a mini gastric bypass?

A 2026 review of 32 studies reports average excess weight loss of about 75% at five years after a mini gastric bypass. Excess weight is the weight above a healthy range, not your total weight. Individual results vary. Your surgeon can talk with you about what's realistic for your health and goals.

Will I need vitamins after a mini gastric bypass?

Yes. After a mini gastric bypass, you'll take vitamins and minerals for life, as your surgeon's team prescribes. Your surgeon's team will tell you which supplements and lab checks you'll need.

Can a mini gastric bypass be reversed or converted?

Yes, as a new operation. A mini gastric bypass can be converted to a traditional bypass or, in some cases, reversed to normal anatomy.

What does Cross Border Medical Connection Inc. do, and what do the surgeon and hospital do?

We're concierge patient coordinators. We coordinate your scheduling, transportation, hotel, and communication with Dr. Edgar Serrano and his team in Tijuana, Mexico. We coordinate your care. Your doctor and hospital provide it. Medical questions go to your surgeon, and it all starts when you request your plan.

About Cross Border Medical Connection Inc.

Cross Border Medical Connection Inc. is a team of concierge patient coordinators in San Diego and Tijuana. Dr. Edgar Serrano performs your mini gastric bypass at Rio Medica or New City Medical Plaza in Tijuana, and our coordinators are with you from pickup to recovery.

Sources

Last updated:

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Your health deserves personalized attention.

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Cross Border Medical Connection Inc. is a coordination company, not a medical provider.

Call (619) 629-0222Text (619) 819-9464