Information About the Lap Band Procedure

The Lap Band procedure is a kind of weight loss surgery procedure that uses a prosthetic band that is put around the top part of the stomach. This makes a little pouch that hinders the amount of food the person having the procedure can eat. You must have a very detailed consultation before being considered for lap band surgery. If you are approved, you will need to have pre-op exams and certain lab tests before the doctor can clear you for having the surgery. There are different kinds of lap bands that you can chose to get.

People that are eligible must understand all of the risks involved in the procedure and be at least 90 pounds over their ideal weight. They also must have certain illnesses that can be helped with the lap band surgery. These are things like arthritis, sleep apnea, diabetes or high blood pressure. The person must also be willing to follow lifelong restrictions on what and how much they can eat.

The way the lap band works is that the band, which is an inflatable silicone prosthetic device, is put around the uppermost portion of the stomach. This is accomplished through laparoscopic surgery. The band is then inflated and can be adjusted through a small access port that is found right beneath the skin. This is where the bariatric surgeon introduces saline into the band.

Since no intestines aren’t rerouted or removed, there is no chance that the patient will suffer from gastric dumping syndrome. After the surgery, the patient will have to eat less, chew their food slowly, and make sure that it is chewed thoroughly.

One of the main post surgical complications after having lap band surgery is the regurgitation of food that has been swallowed but not made it to the stomach. This isn’t something that is supposed to happen. It can be a certain type of malfunction, like a leak from the port, a type of kinking of the tubing, or some kind of disruption of the tube connector from the port that leads to the band, port displacement, or port site pain.

Sometimes, the narrow part into the lower part of the stomach can be blocked by food that has yet to be chewed. In addition, some patients experience reflux, vomiting, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, odd stools, and stomach obstructions.

While not everyone will be a prime candidate for lap band surgery, when you know as much about the procedure as possible, it makes the choice much easier for you.