The name “LAP-BAND” comes from the surgical
technique used, laparoscopic, and the name of the implanted medical
device, gastric band. The LAP-BAND® System is a silicone ring
designed to be placed around the upper part of the stomach and filled
with saline on its inner surface. This creates a new, smaller stomach
pouch that can hold only a small amount of food, so the food storage
area in the stomach is reduced. The band also controls the stoma
(stomach outlet) between the new upper pouch and the lower part
of the stomach. When the stomach is smaller, you feel full faster,
while the food moves more slowly between your upper and lower stomach
as it is digested. As a result, you eat less and lose weight.
The Minimally Invasive Procedure
During the procedure, surgeons usually use laparoscopic techniques
(making tiny incisions rather than a large incision and inserting
long-shafted instruments through “ports”), to wrap the
LAP-BAND® System around the patient’s stomach. A narrow
camera is passed through a port so the surgeon can view the operative
site on a nearby video monitor. Like a wristwatch, the band is fastened
around the upper stomach to create the new stomach pouch that limits
and controls the amount of food you eat. The band is then locked
securely in a ring around the stomach.
Since there is no stomach cutting, stapling, or gastrointestinal
re-routing involved in the LAP-BAND® System procedure, it is
considered the safest, least invasive, and least traumatic of all
weight-loss surgeries. The laparoscopic approach to the surgery
also has the advantages of reduced post-operative pain, shortened
hospital stay, and quicker recovery. If for any reason the LAP-BAND®
System needs to be removed, the stomach generally returns to its
original form.
Adjustable Weight Loss
Once placed around the stomach, tubing connects the LAP-BAND®
to an access port fixed beneath the skin of your abdomen. This allows
the surgeon to change the stoma (stomach outlet) size by adding
or subtracting saline, or salt water, inside the inner balloon through
the access port. This adjustment process helps determine the rate
of weight loss. If the band is too loose and weight loss is inadequate,
adding more saline can reduce the size of the stoma to further restrict
the amount of food that can move through it. If the band is too
tight, the surgeon will remove some saline to loosen the band and
reduce the amount of restriction.
The diameter of the band can be modified to meet your individual
needs, which can change as you lose weight. For example, pregnant
patients can expand their band to accommodate a growing fetus, while
patients who aren’t experiencing significant weight loss can
have their bands tightened.
The LAP-BAND® System is also the only adjustable weight-loss
surgery available in the United States to help maintain restriction
and keep the weight off long-term.
The LAP-BAND® System Advantages at a Glance
Minimal Trauma
- Least invasive surgical option
- No intestinal re-routing
- No cutting or stapling of the stomach wall or bowel
- Small incisions and minimal scarring
- Reduced patient pain, length of hospital stay and recovery period
Fewer Risks and Side Effects
- 10 times less operative and short-term mortality than gastric
bypass1
- Low risk of nutritional deficiencies associated with gastric
bypass
- Reduced risk of hair loss
- No “dumping syndrome” related to dietary intake
restrictions
Adjustable
- Allows individualized degree of restriction for ideal rate of
weight-loss
- Adjustments performed without additional surgery
- Supports pregnancy by allowing stomach outlet size to be opened
to accommodate increased nutritional needs
- Only surgical option designed to help maintain long-term weight
loss
Reversible
- Removable at any time
- Stomach and other anatomy are generally restored to their original
forms and functions
Effective Long-Term Weight Loss
- More than 300,000 LAP-BAND® System devices placed worldwide
- Standard of care for hundreds of surgeons around the world
#1 selling adjustable gastric band for weight loss
- Academic publications with up to 10 years of follow-up
Top 10 Myths about Laparoscopic Gastric Bands
1. The bands don’t work
2. The device is not appropriate for patients 17 years old or younger
3. They are contraindicated in the super-obese
4. Sweet eaters will not lose weight with a band
5. The band cannot be used in conjunction with gastric bypass
6. The band is filled with air
7. The band never slips or causes dilation
8. The adjustment port will set off an airport metal detector
9. An MRI cannot be done after banding
10. Any surgeon will be glad to adjust a band placed outside the
United States
For more information, visit www.lapband.com.
1. Executive summary: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric
banding for the treatment of obesity (Update and Re-appraisal).
The Australian Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional
Procedures - Surgical (ASERNIPS) 2002; 1. (Laparoscopic adjustable
gastric banding surgery, like the LAP-BAND® surgery, is associated
with a mean short-term mortality rate of around 0.05% compared to
0.50% for Gastric Bypass and 0.31% for Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.)
Disclaimer:
As with any surgery, there are specific risks and possible complications
associated with the LAP-BAND® System surgery. Talk to your doctor
to determine if you are a candidate for the LAP-BAND® System.
M898-10 06/07
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