Lap Band Helps Remove the Weight
In its easiest terms to understand, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a restrictive surgery that joins a balloon to a band around the upper portion of the stomach. A reservoir is situated under the skin and is used to inflate the balloon and adjust the gastric band.
With the inflation of the balloon the gastric band tightens and lessens the amount of food traveling through at the given time. When the balloon is deflated the band loosens and the weight loss starts to be reduced. The LAP-BAND ® System, Swedish Adjustable Band and the Mid-Band are the various types of bands used for this type of procedure.
A laparoscopic adjustable gastric band is designed for obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater — or of between 35–40 in situations where patients are dealing with certain co morbidities that are known to improve with weight loss.
Lap Band Offers Less Restrictions
Unlike the other restrictive procedures, LAGB does not result in a permanent altering of the anatomy of the stomach or small intestines. LAGB is a reversible procedure and it produces no risk of major nutritional deficiencies. LAGB is thought of as a safer procedure than the gastric bypass or malabsorptive procedures. Weight-related problems have been known to improve with LAGB such as sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, asthma, and hypertension.
LAGB offers a number of advantages over other bariatric surgeries, including: Lower mortality rate: only 1 in 2,000 versus 1 in 250 for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery; is fully reversible in that the stomach returns to normal if the band is removed; no cutting or stapling of the stomach; shorter recovery time; adjustable without additional surgery; no malabsorption issues (because no intestines are bypassed); fewer life threatening complications.
Are you one of those people who want to do something about their weight problem, but have not yet taken the initiative to do it? If so, give TopSurgeons a call today for a consultation and to learn more about Lap Band surgery.
More Lap Band surgeries are done with TopSurgeons than any other provider in California!
For more information about Lap Band, call 1-800-953-5000.
