Lap Band Surgery - Details about Lap Band Weight Loss

“ LAP-BAND® System ” is the brand name of the FDA-approved, adjustable gastric band used in lap-band weight loss surgery. Most simply, a lap-band is a silicone belt that goes around the top of the stomach. The ability to control your hunger and achieve a “feeling of fullness,” or satiety is the result. Ultimately, you eat much less and should feel full sooner. The goal of losing unwanted pounds can then be accomplished.

A key component of the lap-band system is its adjustability. The band is connected to a port, which enables the device to be inflated over time to expedite the weight loss.

The lap-band surgery is designed to help you lose excess body weight for resolution of obesity-related health conditions and enhancement of life. In partnership with leading bariatric surgeons around the world, this relatively new surgical approach was developed that eliminates many of the known associated operative risks and provides unique benefits compared to other obesity surgeries. This effort has resulted in the lap-band system, the only adjustable and reversible obesity surgery that does not require cutting and stapling of the stomach or gastrointestinal re-routing to bypass normal digestion. Patient benefits include reduced surgical trauma, complications, pain and scarring, as well as shorter hospitalization and recovery time compared to other obesity surgeries.

The lap-band's adjustable gastric banding procedure restricts the amount of food the stomach can hold by placing an inflatable silicone band around the upper part of the stomach. The new, small upper stomach pouch limits the amount of food that can be consumed at one time, and a narrowed stomach outlet increases the time it takes for the stomach to empty. The subsequent reduction in food intake results in weight loss.

The body gets energy from food while it passes through the alimentary canal, which consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach and small and large intestines. Digestion starts in the mouth with chewing and the addition of saliva. After food passes through the esophagus, this process continues in the stomach. The stomach then provides temporary storage for food. Gastric juices, which contain enzymes, break down the food so that energy can be carried through the body by the blood.

The lap-band system is a silicone elastomer ring designed to be placed around the upper part of the stomach and filled with saline on the inner surface. Like a wristwatch, the band is fastened around the upper stomach to create a new, tiny stomach pouch. This small pouch takes over as your working stomach despite still being connected to the larger, remaining part of your stomach. The band also controls the stoma (stomach outlet) between the two parts of the stomach. The size of the stoma regulates the flow of the food from the upper to the lower part of the stomach. When the stoma is smaller, you feel full sooner and have a feeling of satisfaction so you are not hungry between meals.

The band is connected by tubing to an access port that is placed beneath the skin during surgery. Later, the surgeon can change the stoma size by adding or subtracting saline inside the inner balloon through the access port. This adjustment process helps drive the rate of weight loss. If the band is too loose and weight loss 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.