Lap Band Surgery (Bariatric Surgery)

Anatomy and lap band surgery

Laparoscopic gastric banding, known as lap band surgery, helps with weight loss.

The surgeon places a lap band around the upper part of your stomach to create a small pouch to hold food. The lap band limits the amount of food you can eat by making you feel full after eating small amounts of food.

The lap band is connected to a port or container which is placed below the skin of your belly. After surgery, your surgeon can insert a needle to reach the port and add or subtract saltwater to it, which in turn causes the lap band to tighten or loosen on your stomatch.

Is lap band surgery right for you?

Lap band surgery may be a good solution if you are 100 pounds or more overweight or have a body mass index of 40 or more. To know for sure if you are candidate for lap band surgery, you'll need to be evaluated by one of our surgeons.

Lap band surgery procedure

General anesthesia is used so you are asleep and cannot feel pain.

Lapaoscopy is used to place a TV camera through a small incision in your belly, so the surgeon can see your organs. A few more small incisions are made so the surgeon can insert his surgical instruments.

The surgeon places a lap band around your upper stomach to separate it from your lower stomach. The lap band creates a small pouch in front of the lower part of your stomach. Your stomach is not cut or stapled, it is only secured with the lap band. The surgery will take 30-60 minutes.

Preparing for lap band surgery

Some tests your surgeon may request:

• A physical exam
• Blood test
• Gallbladder ultrasound
• Counseling with a nutritionist
• Training to teach you what happens during surgery and afterward
• A mental health check to make sure you are mentally fit to live with major changes in your lifestyle after lap band surgery
• If you smoke you should quit prior to and after surgery

In the week before lap band surgery:

• Stop taking drugs that slow down blood clotting like aspirin, ibuprofen,  and vitamin E.
• Stop taking any regular drugs you take if you doctor instructs you

On your lap band surgery day:

• After midnight the night before don't eat or drink anything

After lap band surgery

After lap band surgery, whenever you eat you will feel full with less food because the small pouch in your upper stomach that is created by the lap band will fill up.

A day after the surgery is when most patients can go home. You can begin a normal lifestyle in another day or two.

Saltwater fills the lap band around your stomach, and your surgeon can later increase the amount of saltwater in the lap band to tighten or loosen it by inserting a needle in your belly to reach a saltwater container placed in your belly. Reasons for later tightening or loosening your lap band are:

• You aren't losing enough weight
• You are having problems eating
• You vomit after eating

This may be enough for many patients. Talk with your doctor about which procedure is best for you.

After lap band surgery, patients on average loose a third to half of their extra weight. Weight is lost for up to three years following lap band surgery.