LAP BAND SURGERY

LAP BAND SURGERY

Inducing weight loss by physically manipulating the size of your stomach.

Lap Band Surgery is a procedure designed for people who are over 30 on the BMI chart or are 50 pounds heavier than the recommended weight for their age and height. More than 30% of Americans chart over 30 on the BMI scale and this number is growing every year. Weight Loss Los Angeles is on a mission to decrease this number, one patient at a time. Lap band surgery is one of the most common methods used to take control of your weight loss. This operation is the process of installing a thin, adjustable band around the upper portion of your stomach.

This physical band is usually made out of biocompatible materials so that it doesn’t disintegrate or melt in the body, giving off harmful chemicals. Nor is it attacked by blood cells or other molecules that fight foreign entities in the body. The materials are made mostly from silicone elastomers and polymers that have been closely tested for toxic interactions within the body. It is designed to be a long-term implant that induces weight loss in individuals who qualify as obese. Though it is typically recommended for people who are at least reaching levels of extreme obesity, circumstances and preferences may lead your physician to recommend this procedure over others. Speaking with your physician about your medical history and your existing situation will aid a decision on whether or not the Lap Band Surgery is best for you.

Do I Need Lap Band Surgery?

Aside from extreme obesity, there aren’t many other circumstances that demand the need or desire for a Lap-Band, but whether or not your physician approves the surgery depends on the risks in correlation to the benefits. This operation is deemed by the FDA as a last resort assuming other weight loss contingencies have failed. Though not successful in every patient, significant changes in eating habits, vitamin intake and hormonal output are likely to occur following this procedure. Due to the intense adjustment that this procedure has on the body, it is only performed on adults over the age of 18. There are strict regulations to ensure that the recipient is right for this weight loss option, but you will be advised against if:

• You have IBS or some other variation of gastrointestinal inflammation or irregularity such as stomach ulcers.
• You have or have had a cardiopulmonary condition or similar circumstances regarding your heart.
• You have any intestinal bleeding.
• You are or may become pregnant.
• You have portal tension caused by high blood pressure or pancreatitis.
• You aren’t emotionally stable or mentally stable enough to fully comprehend the post-surgical effects that a lap band may have.

There are more pressing circumstances that may prevent you from getting Lap Band Surgery, so properly informing your physician about past medical history, current conditions, and medications is necessary. They will analyze the information you’ve given and will offer other weight loss options if this one isn’t for you. If you match one of the above, you may still qualify depending on your surgeon, but if you do not qualify, here are some other weight loss operation options:

• Gastric Bypass
• Gastrectomy
• Gastric Sleeve
• Tummy Tuck

Benefits of Lap Band Surgery

Unlike the Gastric Sleeve, Tummy Tuck and others, this operation is the least invasive bariatric procedure because it doesn’t require removing a portion of an organ. There isn’t any cutting of the stomach or intestinal rerouting. Instead Lap Band Surgery works with the stomach and digestive system like it’s an extension of the gastrointestinal system. It doesn’t have a significant impact on hormone output as a gastric bypass does. It can be removed at any time and when it is, the stomach will eventually return to its original shape. Because of how the band works, you can request a custom limit for how much food you’re able to eat.

Risks of Lap Band Surgery

There are some risks that come with lap bands that are beyond your control such as erosion. Preventable risks also exist and should be noted before the surgery. This is a surgical operation that will require sedation. All risks associated with anesthesia will be discussed by your doctor before you sign the waiver. Other accommodations are provided if you cannot be administered anesthesia. If proper care is not given then it is possible for the incision to become infected. This infection can quickly spread to the point of affecting vital nerves, veins, and organs. Twenty percent of the time, the lap band doesn’t accomplish the weight loss goal and needs to be removed. Your doctor will discuss all the possibilities of this occurring.

It is vital that the patient understands all of the risks that come with a lap band. If someone exhibits the inability to comprehend the process of the operation or is deemed emotionally unstable by the physician, they will be rejected to receive the band. While it has a high success rate, there is still some level of intrusion into the body that could lead to death. All WLLA operations are accurate and we strive to make sure our patients are well informed and clearly understand every option they have before them. We stick with you throughout the recovery period to ensure that there aren’t any complications when it comes to care and sanitation.

Lap Band Revision

If there are complications following the lap band surgery, you have the options to resolve them. These complications can include the lap band slipping off, becoming too loose or too tight, the formation of blood clots, hernia formation, swelling, infection, etc. When this happens, a surgeon can re-enter the body through surgical means and either adjust, switch out, or remove the lap band.

Lap Band Removal

When a lap band removal is performed, it must be done through a laparoscopic operation. The surgeons at Weight Loss Los Angeles are experienced in performing laparoscopic operations that demand smaller incisions. While this surgery has had many positive and scientifically proven results, many circumstances arise that require the band to be adjusted, replaced, or removed. These circumstances can be any number of things from band erosion to the band slipping off. Another given need for removal is that the lap band surgery didn’t accomplish the patient’s goal to lose weight.

Reasons

Erosion of the lap band is when it is absorbed and becomes one with the stomach. This requires the surgeon to cut the outer pouch that has surrounded the lap band along with any sutures and scar tissue from the initial procedure. An infection of the band or port, two separate pieces of the device, can also force the need for removal. On most occasions, this infection is not curable by antibiotics and must be treated in open surgery. If you need to have the lap band removed, you may exhibit the following symptoms:

• Extreme nausea
• Vomiting
• Dysphagia or difficulty swallowing
• Dilation of the esophagus
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
• Heartburn

Lap Band Conversion to Sleeve

Removal of the lap band ultimately results in the patient regaining the weight. If the patient wants to, depending on what the lap band complications were, they can opt for another option. If you match any of the complications above, you can switch to another bariatric surgical procedure to continue your weight loss journey in a different way. Switching can also increase the amount of weight that is lost. A gastric sleeve is proven to help people lose more weight than a lap band. This is an easy transition depending on the severity of your condition upon removing the lap band.