Lap Band Surgery

• Safe, with low complication risk
• Reversible, as anatomy is not altered
• Doesn’t involve dividing or removing any part of your stomach or intestine
• 40% excess weight loss
• Fast recovery and minimal scarring

• Lifetime monitoring, with 15% to 30% need for
  revisional surgery
• Risk of 1 in 300 of stomach or oesophagus damage causing leak
• Reduces quality of eating
• Mechanical problems, slippage or erosion over time
• Access port flipping or infection
• Oesophageal dilatation

Lap band surgery is a straightforward procedure that typically lasts about an hour and is performed under general anaesthesia. To access the stomach, four to five small incisions, each measuring 1 to 2 cm, are made to facilitate the passage of instruments. The lap band itself consists of a small piece of tubing connected to a band, which can be adjusted for tightness. This band is connected to a reservoir implanted beneath the skin, below the ribs on the left side.

Five weeks after the surgery, patients undergo their first “fill” procedure. This involves injecting a small amount of saline into the reservoir, causing the band to tighten around the stomach. This restriction leads to a sensation of fullness and prompts the commencement of weight loss.