Gastric Banding

Gastric Banding is a surgical procedure used to help obese and severely obese patients lose weight by making you feel full faster, so you eat less and lose weight.

The procedure involves placing an adjustable silicone band around the upper portion of your stomach to create a small pouch. Patients who undergo Gastric Banding surgery typically lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week.*

Your Procedure

According to Arif Ahmad, MD, Director of the Mather Hospital Center of Excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery™ (COEMBS), the procedure involves the placement of a hollow doughnut-shaped tube around the upper part of your stomach, which is then filled with saline (salt water) to restrict the amount of food you can eat.

The band works in two ways to make you feel full faster, so you eat less and lose weight:  It limits the amount of food that can enter your stomach at one time.

The Gastric Banding system is not recommended for people who have gastrointestinal tract disorders (such as ulcers, esophagitis or Crohn’s disease) or an autoimmune disease.

Gastric Banding is generally considered to be the least invasive and is the only adjustable and reversible procedure for long-term weight loss.

After Your Gastric Banding Surgery

It is important for you to maintain a healthy life after surgery in order to maximize and fully enjoy the results of the procedure. This includes a diet that is low in fat and calories, as well as regular daily exercise.

Because the silicone band is adjustable, it can be tightened or loosened over time to let more or less food pass through to regulate your rate of weight loss.

And because it is reversible, Gastric Banding can be removed, as it does not involve any serious alterations to intestinal organs. Removal can often be performed using the same laparoscopic techniques used to place the band.

Your Risks

As with any surgery, there are inherent potential risks such as blood clots, bleeding, and infection or damage to adjacent organs.

Gastric Banding patients also experience little to no risk of the nutritional deficiencies, associated with some other weight loss surgeries .

Poor compliance with the post-surgical program prescribed by your surgeon and the COEMBS team can result in inadequate weight loss or weight regain with any bariatric procedure.

* Weight loss results may vary. All surgeries present risks.