Is It Time to Remove Your Lap Band

Is It Time to Remove Your Lap Band

The lap-band operation is a weight loss procedure in which the surgeon limits the patient's stomach capacity to store food by wrapping a belt-like device around the stomach, forming an upper chamber that contains a very little quantity of food, leading the patient to feel full when this chamber is filled. As a result, patients will feel fuller earlier and finish eating sooner while limiting the amount of food they may consume. The lap band procedure generates a tiny stomach pouch above the band while keeping the remainder of the stomach intact underneath it. 


This implies that lap band surgery works by expanding or lowering the size of the conduit between the two regions of the stomach, delaying the transit of food to the major part of the stomach. The lap band, also known as the adjustable gastric band operation, consists of an inflatable silicone band that is put around the upper region of the stomach and is adjustable in order to help the patient lose weight.  So, if you have a lap band, when is it appropriate to remove it and do a revision?

What Difficulties Can Arise With a Lap Band?

Even though lap band surgery is minimally invasive and totally reversible, some individuals may experience difficulty swallowing food, as well as severe nausea and vomiting following surgery or for years afterward. Lap band surgery might induce esophageal dilatation and aspiration in certain people. It is well known that many patients do not get satisfactory outcomes with lap band surgery, and more than half of the lap bands are removed due to a lack of weight reduction and/or issues and complications that arise years after they are installed.


The patient may have the following issues or difficulties after lap band surgery:

- Insufficient weight loss;
- Weight regain;
- Band intolerance and infection;
- Symptoms may include excessive nausea, vomiting, and band slippage;
- Erosion;
- Heartburn symptoms;
- Esophagitis;
- Symptoms may include aspiration or liquids entering the throat at night.

If a patient experiences an intolerance and/or problem with their gastric band, such as nausea, vomiting, dysphagia, slippage, and/or erosion, removing their lap band will provide instant relief. However, without changing to another weight reduction operation, the majority of patients will gain weight following lap-band removal. As a result, bariatric revision surgery may be performed due to the previously described difficulties, as well as because the patient's anatomy has altered over time and requires repair. 

When to Seek Revision Surgery?

Patients may seek revision surgery if their stomach has extended out, allowing them to consume more food than they did immediately following their original operation. Most people who have undergone lap-band surgery require follow-up surgery. As a result, it is critical for patients to talk with their physicians regarding revision surgery choices.


It's also worth noting that the lap band is a medical device composed of silicone with a limited lifespan. The manufacturer recommends removal after about 10 years, and if you keep your band in for longer, you may have a lot of trouble with the removal process, as the band may fall apart or be unable to be removed from the body, or worse, the band may become encapsulated by the body, necessitating a very complicated surgery requiring a thoracic surgeon and possibly an open chest procedure.


The most common lap band revision treatments are conversion surgeries to gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. The gastric bypass with lap band removal is very successful for individuals who gained weight after their stomach enlarged and they had gastric reflux. If you have a failed lap band, many people switch to a gastric sleeve because it is less invasive than the RNY and produces the same results (because it works through restriction), but the gastric sleeve actually works where the lap band fails. Most lap band removal and revision operations may be performed laparoscopically. In extremely few cases, the lap band has injured the stomach, in which case the band must be removed and the patient must wait 3-6 months for the stomach to recover before the gastric bypass or sleeve can be performed; nevertheless, everything is frequently done in a single treatment.  




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