Adjustable Gastric Band
- Two types of bands
- 1. Lap-Band
- 2. Realize Band (Has now been taken off the market)
- Outpatient procedure (you get to go home the same day) with minimal discomfort (pain) so you can return to work quickly.
- Allows for good hunger and portion control but produces minimal metabolic effect in the body.
- Provides a slow, steady weight loss. Patients will usually get to the lowest weight they are going to achieve about two years after surgery.
- Patients should expect to lose about 50% of the extra weight they are carrying (25% total body weight loss) but the weight loss is highly variable and very much patient dependent.
- Patient must be seen by the surgeon more frequently (usually every month) in the first year after surgery to achieve optimal weight loss.
- The band must be “filled” for it to work properly. Doing a “fill” involves a needle stick through the skin. If you have a fear of needles this is not the operation for you!
- This is the safest procedure in the first 30 days after surgery, but the long-term complication rate is the highest
- Bands are being done much less frequently and currently represent only 3% of operations done in the United States (used to be 50%!).
Our program is willing to follow patients who have had a band placed by another surgeon.
If the patient would like to start working with their band again to try and achieve weight loss we are happy to help them, but if they have found the band was not the right “tool” for them, we also offer Revisions/Conversions.
If you, a friend, or a family member have a band that you are not using to achieve weight loss, we recommend that you have be evaluated for band removal to avoid any long-term complications related to the band.
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