Bariatric surgery uses several different procedures to help patients lose weight. Two of the most common procedures, gastric bypass and laparoscopic gastric banding, are both effective but have distinct advantages and drawbacks.
Weight Loss
In general, patients who have gastric bypass are more likely to successfully lose weight than those who undergo a laparoscopic gastric banding procedure, the Bariatric Surgery Specialists website notes. On the other hand, both procedures typically result in similar amounts of weight loss, LapBand.com explains.
Mortality
Another factor that affects the success rate of the procedures is the mortality rate of the operations. Approximately one in every 200 gastric bypass procedures results in patient death, the Weight Loss Surgery Help website reports. The number of deaths for laparoscopic gastric banding is about one out of every 2,000 patients, according to the website, which is significantly smaller.
Time Frame
Patients who receive gastric bypass surgery often experience more rapid weight loss in the initial months after the procedure, according to Weight Loss Surgery Help. Patients typically settle on their final weight approximately one to two years after the procedure, whereas it can take three to four years for patients who have received laparoscopic gastric banding to settle at their final weight.
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