Risks Of Gastric Band Weight Loss

Gastric banding can help you lose weight if you are unable to take off excess pounds using other weight loss methods. During gastric banding surgery, doctors place an adjustable silicone band over the top part of your stomach to limit the amount of food your stomach can hold at any one time. While gastric banding surgery can help improve your health, there are certain risks associated with the procedure.

Obesity Risks

Your weight may increase your risk of problems following surgery. GastricBanding.org reports that excessive body weight puts extra stress on the chest cavity, which can raise your chances of developing pneumonia after surgery.

Dumping Syndrome

Dumping syndrome occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach are dumped into the small intestine too rapidly, according to MayoClinic.com. Symptoms can begin just after eating or may not occur until several hours after you eat. Symptoms of dumping syndrome include abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, burping, heart palpitations, fainting and low blood sugar. You may also feel shaky or lightheaded. Changing your diet or taking drugs that slow the way food passes through your stomach can help the problem. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

Surgical Risks

You may also be at increased risk of developing blood clots in your legs after weight loss surgery. If blood clots break free, they can travel to the heart or lungs, causing a life-threatening condition. The Columbia University Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery reports that wearing surgical stockings before and after surgery and walking soon after surgery can help prevent the 1 percent chance that a blood clot will occur.

Other possible surgical risks include an infections at the incision site, blockage of the stomach outlet or a hernia that develops near the incision site. As with any type of surgery, death is a possible risk. The Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery reports that the risk of death to due gastric banding surgery is about 1 in 2,000.

Band Complications

Once in place, your band may shift or move and you may need to undergo a procedure to reposition the band. Gastric bands are filled with saline solution. Doctors add or remove saline to the band to make adjustments. The Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery reports that slippage of the band can occur with persistent vomiting. The band may begin leaking saline and deflate, limiting its effectiveness at reducing stomach size. In some cases, the band may erode into your stomach, causing bleeding or pain.

Nutritional Complications

Because you will be eating much smaller amounts of food after your surgery, malnutrition can occur if you don't take the vitamins and minerals your doctor recommends. If the malnutrition is not corrected, diseases such as pellagra and beriberi may occur and cause permanent damage to the nervous system, according to the Weight Control Information Network. These diseases can occur due to a lack of B vitamins.