Gastric Band

Gastric banding or lap band as it is commonly known, is a procedure that is rapidly growing in popularity as a choice of weight loss surgery.  It is an effective weight loss surgery that can see rapid weight loss relatively quickly with most patients.  A gastric band or lap band is therefore an effective treatment for those that are suffering from clinically severe obesity.  A band is placed around the stomach and sewn in place.  A balloon sits against the stomach wall.  When the balloon becomes inflated the band tightens around the stomach slowing down the passage of food. Weight loss is achieved as patients can only eat small portions of food as their pouch becomes full quickly giving the feeling of fullness.  You will immediately feel full and eating more will cause you to vomit.  The balloon becomes inflated by putting a saline solution through a needle into the balloon via a port.  

The surgery therefore works by both restricting the amount of food the patient can intake and the appetite.  Therefore the calorie intake is significantly reduced leading to weight loss. Many patients ask what the band is made of, which is a perfectly natural question.  The band is circular in shape and is made out of a type of plastic which does not react to the body.  A saline solution is used to adjust and change the size of the stomach pouch.  A reservoir is used for the saline solution, which allows the tightness of the band to be adjusted without the need for surgery.


A lap band it is one of the simplest of all weight loss surgeries and also one of the safest.  The surgery is not as invasive as some other weight loss surgeries which means recovery is often more rapid.  As the band is adjustable patients can have the tightness to meet their own individual requirements.  Making adjustments means that the surgeon can adjust the band so it is most effective for the patient to achieve long-term weight loss steadily and safely.  Many patients achieve effective weight loss long-term for the rest of the lives.  This surgery doesn’t affect absorption so weight loss is achieved by limited food consumption alone.  This is why gastric banding is most suitable to those patients that can be disciplined and control their food intake.  The weight loss will be slower than that of the gastric bypass and often, gastric banding patients have to work harder to achieve the same weight loss.  This procedure is suitable for patients that are able to control what they eat healthy foods as there is no ‘dumping syndrome’ which means that foods high in sugar and fat will be absorbed.  Therefore gastric banding patients need to be careful not to sabotage the surgery they have had by drinking high-calorie liquids such as milkshakes or eating foods high in fat and sugar. 

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