Lap Band Surgery

What is Lap Band Surgery?

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, commonly called the Lap Band, is an inflatable silicone band device surgically placed around the top portion of the stomach to treat obesity. The procedure portions off the upper stomach “pouch”—about the size of an egg—limiting the amount of food your stomach can hold, thereby reducing calories consumed, while maintaining early fullness with smaller portion meals. This helps accelerates your weight loss. As you progressively lose weight, the Lap Band can be adjusted like a “Belt” to maintain your weight loss. Lap Band surgery is a safe and effective weight-loss procedure that is less invasive than other bariatric operations which requires “cutting” the stomach or small intestines.

How is this Procedure Performed?

The procedure is performed minimally invasive via small puncture incisions, commonly known as Laparoscopic. The Lap Band device is inserted and placed at the highest part of the upper stomach. The Band is then connected to an access port-size of a quarter coin-that is implanted just underneath the skin. The access port allows the Surgeon to inject to add or remove fluid to adjust the tightness of the Gastric Band thereby maintaining the "Egg-sized" stomach pouch for continued weight loss. Performing this procedure laparoscopically reduces post-surgery pain, scarring, and lead to faster recovery time and earlier return to work or activities.

Benefits of the Lap Band?

The Lap Band is purely a "Restrictive" operation, which allow patients to feel full with small portion meals, thereby reducing calories. There is no effect on a person's absorption of nutrients, and therefore no mal-absorption or re-arrangement in the digestive tract such as in the Gastric Bypass procedure. Gastric Band surgery may lead to improvements in Obesity-Related Illnesses such as Type-2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or Cardiac diseases. The Gastric Band is fully removable.

Am I a Candidate?

Any patient who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher (at least 100 pounds over his/her ideal body weight) is considered Morbidly Obese. If they have been unable to successfully lose weight via conventional methods of dieting and exercising, they should qualify for surgery. Patient with lesser weight but has a BMI 35 and greater (at least 50 pounds over his/her ideal body weight) can also qualify if they suffer from serious life-threatening health illness such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, High Cholesterol, and Heart Disease.