Since its approval in 2001, the Lap-Band has become an option for combating obesity and weight-related health conditions. According to the National Institutes of Health, most patients who undergo Lap-Band surgery for obesity lose one-third to one-half of their excess weight over the course of three years.
About the Lap-Band
The Lap-Band AP System is the brand name for a type of adjustable gastric band. The device consists of a flexible silicone ring, which your surgeon inserts around the upper portion of your stomach. This creates a small stomach pouch, which limits the amount of food you can eat at one time. Because you feel full sooner, you eat less. The ring is attached to a port that sits underneath the skin of your abdomen and allows your doctor to adjust the fit of the band.
Risks and Complications
Risks associated with adjustable gastric banding include blood clots, infections in the port area and injury to the stomach or other internal organs. In some cases, the band may erode through the stomach or slip out of place. These complications may require an additional surgery. However, the Lap-Band may be safer than other types of weight-loss surgery. Medical News Today reports on a five-year study performed by Legacy Good Samaritan Obesity Institute in which researchers found that patients who received a Lap-Band experienced fewer complications and shorter hospitals stays than patients who underwent a gastric bypass procedure for obesity.
Maintenance
After implantation of your Lap-Band device, you will need periodic adjustments, or fills, to keep the band working at an optimal level. If your band is too loose, it will not effectively do its job of reducing the amount of food you can eat. If the band is too tight, it could cause difficulty swallowing, acid reflux, night cough or regurgitation. Using your access port, your doctor will insert a needle to add or remove fluid from the band. Women who become pregnant after Lap-Band surgery can have all of the band's fluid removed during pregnancy to provide adequate nutrition to the fetus, and resume use of the gastric band after delivery.
Criteria
In February 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed to lower the criteria for Lap-Band surgery. Previously, the Lap-Band was approved for patients with a BMI of at least 40, or a BMI of 35 with a serious weight-related health condition, such as heart disease or diabetes. Under the new guidelines, you may qualify with a BMI of 35, or a BMI of 30 with another health condition. Many insurance companies will cover Lap-Band surgery, but may require that you submit proof that you have been obese for five years or more and that you have failed to lose weight through other methods.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Defining Overweight and Obesity; June 2010
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences; March 2011
- MedlinePlus; Laparoscopic Gastric Banding; November 2010
- Lap-Band AP System: The Lap-Band Device & How It Works
- Medical News Today; Long-Term Safety Data Show the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System Results in Fewer Complications Compared to Gastric Bypass; February 2007
- Malley Surgical Weight Loss Center: What is a Fill?
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