Gastric Banding Procedure

Gastric Banding

Gastric banding is a weight loss surgery procedure that limits how much food you can eat. Gastric banding helps overweight people achieve substantial, long-term weight loss and is a very effective procedure. A report from Australia stated that 535 weight loss surgeries were performed in 1998 but by 2008 this number had jumped to 17,000!

The procedure

An inflatable, silicone ring is put around the stomach which then divides it into two sections.This creates a smaller pouch at the top part of the stomach, taking in less food to make you feel fuller. The food then slowly passes through the opening into the lower part of your stomach and continues on as it normally would.
The band can be inflated with a saline solution to to make the opening of the lower part of the stomach smaller. This will further restrict the amount of food you will be able to eat, making you feel fuller for longer periods.

The band is inserted into the abdomen using keyhole surgery, usually through approximately five small cuts. Adjustments to the gastric band are made by injecting fluid through a very thin tube. It can be inflated and deflated, until the right level of restriction is achieved.

It will take several adjustments to find the right level of restriction, This is tailored to each individual patient. These will be done at a hospital, the first one is usually six to eight weeks after the initial gastric banding.

The procedure is reversible.
To reduce your risk of complications you may be asked to lose weight before surgery.

The following lifestyle changes will help to make the procedure a complete success:

Eating a healthy balanced diet
Exercising regularly
Give up smoking

Sometime complications can occur after surgery, these include

Bleeding after surgery
Spleen injury
Band slippage
Wound infections
Blood clots
Excess skin.

Symptoms will vary with each patient.

Recovery

You should be able to go home two days after the operation. Most people need two to three weeks to recover after the operation. You will need to visit the hospital regularly to have the band adjusted.

Once the band has been fitted it can stay in for life.

On average people lose around half of their excess weight within two years of having the surgery.