LAP-BAND® Surgery is the process of placing a prosthesis known as the LAP-BAND around the upper stomach to create a smaller stomach pouch that in turn limits the amount of food an individual can fit into their stomach. LAP-BAND surgery (a bariatric surgery procedure) was approved by the FDA in 2001 and gained increasing popularity in the weight loss world from that point forward.

The procedure itself is minimally invasive as lap band surgeons enter the stomach region via small incisions and use surgical instruments to insert the LAP-BAND. The main reason for having the surgery performed is so that the individual having it done will not only lose weight but keep the weight off as well. This is a new method that is recommended for those individuals who experience morbid obesity and have tried to lose the weight but have failed in their attempts to lose the weight and keep it off.

The LAP-BAND works by decreasing the size of the stomach pouch. By doing so, individuals will be able to eat to a certain point and then they will be full. Individuals feel full much more quickly as their stomach is a smaller size than what it was prior to the surgery. After lap band surgery, eating habits will change and individuals will follow lap band diet guidelines. In addition, the LAP-BAND creates a small stomach outlet which significantly slows down the emptying process from the stomach into the intestines. Both of these factors act together in order to aid the individual in their weight loss goals.

Lap Band benefits:

Lap-Band surgery is less invasive, less risky than laparoscopic gastric bypass, according to a five-year study comparing the two most common weight-loss surgery procedures for the seriously overweight. This was one of the first comparative studies of Lap-Band and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients conducted by a single institution. It is significant to note that at the five-year mark there is no difference in the weight-loss results between the Lap-Band and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients, yet the gastric bypass has a much greater risk of operative complications. The study is an extension of a three-year study conducted by Legacy Health System published two years ago. The study concludes:

• LAP-BAND patients have shorter operative time, less blood loss and shorter hospital stay compared with laparoscopic gastric bypass patients
• LAP-BAND is less invasive with less operative risk to the patient
• LAP-BAND patients have decreased complication rates

Lap-Band Risks: