Lap Band Surgery: Helping Patients To Get Rid Of Their Excess Weight

A laparoscopic adjustable band otherwise called lap band is an inflatable silicone device that is wrapped around the top portion of the stomach. It is intended to slow down the consumption of foods and thus the amount of food consumed is an example of bariatric surgery designed for obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater-or between 35 and 40 in cases of patients with certain co morbidities that are known to improve with weight loss, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, osteoarthritis, GERD, Hypertension (high blood pressure), or metabolic syndrome, among others.
The surgical incision of an adjustable gastric band is often referred to as a lap band procedure. First a small incision is made near the belly button. Carbon dioxide gas is introduced into the abdomen to create a work place for the surgeon. A small laparoscopic camera is placed through the incision into the abdomen to create a workspace for the surgeon.
A small pouch is created in the upper part of the stomach with a controlled and adjustable stoma without stapling thus limiting food intake. This is an operation that is performed under general anesthesia and can take anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour. The advantages of this surgery are no cutting of the stomach, any stapling of the stomach and thus restricting the amount of food taken.
This is a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery; it slows the emptying of food inside the stomach. According to research lap band surgery has proved to be an effective long term method of reducing weight for the obese. Studies have also shown that lap band surgery has a lasting impact on weight loss. Weight loss with gastric banding tends to be gradual. You may lose up to two or three pounds a week in the first year after the surgery, but one pound a week is the average. This slows in the 12 to 18 months after your surgery. On average, gastric banding produces a loss of about 40 percent of excess weight in the first year and 55 percent of excess weight in the second year.
Many people who shed massive amounts of weight with Lap-Band or other forms of bariatric surgery find that they are left with hanging fat or flab. Additional post-bariatric body contouring surgeries - such as the arm lift, thigh lift, panniculectomy, bra-line back lift or lower body lift - may be necessary down the road.
This article describes why lap band surgery has proved to be so beneficial for patients.

 

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