There are various types of gastric band, but all essentially involve placing a hollow adjustable gastric band around the upper part of the stomach. This band divides the stomach into a small upper pouch above the band and a larger pouch below the band. The small gastric (stomach) pouch limits the amount of food that a patient can eat at any one time and will result in a feeling of fullness after eating a small amount of food.
Gastric bands are silicone devices which work on the principle of hydraulics. In conventional gastric bands, an adjustment port is placed under the skin of the abdominal wall and, using a needle and syringe, the doctor can adjust the tightness of the stomach banding by either introducing or removing fluid from the system.
The Easyband (TAGB) uses sophisticated electronics to close or open the gastric band without the need for an access port of any kind. The access port is replaced by a simple electronic receiver, through which the telemetric signal is directed to either open or close the band.
Laparoscopic gastric banding is classed as a 'restrictive' procedure - i.e. it restricts the amount of food passing into the main body of the stomach. Gastric bypass, on the other hand, relies on both restriction and malabsorption (see here for more details.)
How long does LGB surgery take?
The gastric band surgery procedure itself takes 30-45 minutes, on average, but allowing for time involved in administering the anaesthetic etc, the total time in theatre is about one hour.
How long will I be in hospital?
Assuming things go well, you will be in hospital overnight and discharged the following day.
Gastric banding in good hands is not a high-risk procedure. At Healthier Weight we only use an elite group of surgeons.
