Gastric band surgery, or the Adjustable Gastric Banding System, is a form of weight loss surgery that is is becoming more popular because of its lower costs and quicker recovery times.
The operation is also perceived as being less invasive than the more commonly used Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure.
How does the gastric band surgery work?
The laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery is often called LAP-BAND® system, after the inflatable silicon band that divides the stomach, creating a very small stomach pouch with an adjustable opening to the rest of the stomach. The diameter of the band is usually about two inches, but the surgeon can adjust its diameter by pumping saline into it from a reservoir implanted under the patient’s skin.
The lap band is adjustable to fit the individuals needs. For a successful outcome, the patient will need to follow a low calorie diet. Patients can lose up to 60% of their excess weight within two years.
The lap band is adjustable, and it makes the patient feel full when the upper pouch reaches it’s food intake limit. The band is inserted laprascopically and adjusted with air through a port located under the skin at the top of the abdomen. The adjustments can be done in the doctor’s office.
Possible complications of gastric band surgery
The gastric banding procedure is less invasive than gastric bypass, and there are fewer reported complications and deaths from this type of surgery. However, complications do occasionally occur, and a second operation is sometimes needed. A recent study that looked at the records of 300 gastric banding patients found a 5% complication rate, while other studies have found the rate of complications to be higher. Some patients will need a second operation due to band slippage or because the stomach pouch becomes dilated.
Complications of gastric band surgery include slippage to a less desirable location as weight is lost, leakage of air from the band, and the stomach outlet can become blocked. Sometimes the lap band erodes inward to the stomach’s insides. These complications are rare, but when they happen, they require a second surgery to correct. Other complications include infections and bleeding.
Lap band surgery has a history of successful outcomes. Typically patients eat a 500-1000 calorie per day diet depending on the band adjustment. Patients feel full sooner and have no feelings of starvation. A patient must have a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35 and serious medical conditions in order to qualify for this surgery. Most insurance companies require a documented 6 month or more history of failed weight loss attempts.
When the band is in place, the stomach takes on an uneven hour-glass shape, with the smaller portion at the top.
How the gastric band surgery is different from gastric bypass
Unlike the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, the gastric band surgery does not reroute the upper intestine. Weight loss occurs solely because the size of the stomach is restricted. The adjustable band decreases the amount of food the patient can eat at one time, but does not otherwise interfere with the digestive process.
Reduced side effects and discomfort with the gastric band surgery
Because gastric band surgery does not bypass any portion of the intestines, patients who have the gastric banding operation don’t usually experience one of the Roux-en-Y operation’s more uncomfortable side effects, the dumping syndrome. After a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operation the patient is unable to eat sugary foods, and some patients are also unable to eat red meats and any food with high fat contents. When patients attempt to eat these foods they become nauseous and may vomit, making the experience extremely uncomfortable.
The gastric band surgery may be less effective for permanent weight loss
Since the gastric band surgery does not cause this side effect, post-operative patients are still able to eat the foods that originally led them to obesity, and for this reason long-term nutritional and behavioral counseling is usually recommended.
Gastric banding patients do not lose weight as quickly as patients who undergo the full gastric bypass procedure. This may be the reason why many U.S. surgeons prefer to offer the Roux-en-Y operation for their obese patients. Surgeons in Europe and Australia appear to show a preference for the less invasive Lap Band surgery, because it is usually safer.
Although weight loss is slower with the gastric band surgery, after 3 to 5 years both gastric banding and gastric bypass patients show comparable weight loss, according to recent studies.
The cost of gastric band surgery
If no complications occur, a gastric banding patient can expect to go home in a day or two after the operation. This helps to reduce the total cost of the surgery, which may run around $14,000 to $18,000 if there are no complications, as opposed to the commonly quoted $35,000 to $40,000 that gastric bypass surgery will cost in the United States.
As with all patients who undergo rapid weight loss, gall stones are common, and long-term nutritional and behavioral counseling is needed for the best outcomes. Even though patients with the gastric band surgery lose weight more slowly than gastric bypass patients, they still need to closely monitor their health for any possible side effects from relatively rapid weight loss.
, about her personal experiences with sugar addiction.