Lap Band Procedure

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I. History of the Lap-Band System

II. How the Lap-Band system works

And who is it for ?

III. Risks and advantages of the Lap-Band

IV. Costs of the Lap-Band

V. Lap-Band System vs. Gastric Bypass

Bibliography  I choose to do my research on the Lab-Band system. It is the new weight loss surgery that is taking over. The process makes losing the weight a slow process and very minimally invasive. Hospital stays are shorter and the recovery process is faster.

History of the Lap-Band System

The Lap-Band was first brought about in the 1980's by a doctor by the name of Lubomyr Kuzmak. The Bioenterics Company took over the original design and attempted to perfect it. Inamed Company purchased Bioenterics and continued work on the Lap-Band. Finally in 1993 a Dr. Mitiku Belachew placed the first Lap-Band in Belgium. Although may people still travel out of the states to have this procedure done, the FDA approved the Lap-Band system in 2001. Surgeons have now preformed over 120,000 procedures, while gastric bypass is still the most common weight loss surgery, the Lap-Band system is by far the most popular.

How the Lap-Band works and who it is for

The Lap-Band is a procedure preformed through several small incisions with the aid of a fiber optic camera and other specialized instruments. During the surgery an adjustable band is placed around the top part of the stomach to create a small gastric pouch to avoid cutting the intestines. A portion of the tube connects the band to the adjusting port that is placed under the skin in the abdominal wall allowing easy access for adjustments. The inner lining of the band is a balloon that is filled with saline to narrow the opening of the stomach, limiting the amount of food that is able to pass. Saline is either added or withdrawn through a needle and syringe placed in the port. Both the surgery and adjustments are minimally painful. The best part of the Lap-Band is that it is totally adjustable and reversible. So if for example a patient becomes pregnant the physician would simply drain the band for the duration of the pregnancy and then slowly refill it after the baby is born. Although it is not necessary to remove the band after one reaches the goal weight but it is possible to do so.

Provided patients follow the instruction by choosing the right foods and exercise after the procedure most patients will lose between 50 and 75% of the excess weight. The Lap-Band is said to be much safer than other weight loss surgeries mainly because it is minimally invasive and the weight comes off at a much slower rate than with surgeries such as the gastric bypass.