Lap Band bariatric surgery is a major surgery performed on the stomach and intestines of people that are overweight to the point of obesity. The purpose of the surgery is to help them lose the excessive weight. There are two types of lap band surgery that both have the same weight loss for individuals. The two common procedures are Roux-en-Y, which closes off only part of the stomach and bypasses certain parts of the intestine. Gastric banding consists of a band being placed around the stomach to alter it to a smaller size resulting in reduction of food consumption.
Roux-en-Y and gastric banding both have long term weight loss, decreased mortality, recuperation of diabetes, and reduced cardiovascular risks as reported in numerous studies on weight loss and obesity. Bariatric surgery is the most common performed surgery for weight loss. In 2005, approximately 140,000 surgeries helped people effectively loss weight. It is a practice that has been performed over 50 years. It has long since reduced the complications for the patients providing a high rate of successful long-term weight loss.
The banding is either a permanent or a temporary procedure. In the permanent procedures, stomach is stapled or reduced to create a smaller stomach pouch to replace the originally larger stomach reducing the space for food and allowing for gradual weight loss. Gastric banding uses a silicone band that is adjustable by adding or removing saline by a small port that is placed under the skin. This type of surgery has been named “lap band” surgery due to the procedure of banding used on the stomach. It is performed laparscopically with a short time of recovery.
The banding surgery reduces the size of the stomach to reduce amounts of food consumed. The smaller size stomach requires the individuals to eat several smaller meals each day instead of the standard three meals a day practice. Laparoscopic lap band surgery requires a short-term hospital stay of two days. The Roux-en-Y surgery does not require a hospital stay.
The most popular type of lap banding is Roux-en-Y bariatric surgery. This surgery is the process of creating a smaller stomach that is stapled with a device then connected to the small intestine with the larger intestine reattached creating the “Y” shape, hence the name. After patients have either surgery, they are required to learn new eating habits along with an exercise routine to help manage their weight loss and maintenance for better long-term results.
People that have the bariatric lap band surgery have seen drastic weight loss and improve health conditions as well as a reduction of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease.