The Lap-Band. Is it Worth the Risk?
Posted on Wed, Jan 04, 2012
Often times patients suffering with the metabolic condition known as obesity are pushed to consider extreme measures out of desperation for treating their condition. One such extreme measure is a surgical intervention known as a “lap band.”
The Lap-Band is an implantable device that is inserted during a surgical procedure. The device works by constricting space available in the stomach. It acts like a tourniquet around the stomach making the food compartment smaller. The size of the tourniquet can be adjusted by injecting fluid into, or withdrawing fluid from the Lap Band. In order to perform this maneuver, there is a port that is near the skin allowing physicians to access it with a needle after the operation has been completed. For patients who've tried everything and come up short, the Lap Band seems logical.
It is less invasive than gastric bypass surgery and it is paid for by many insurance companies. Unfortunately, many of these patients have not had the benefit of being treated with medical weight loss such as that available through The Petteruti Center. Thus they're willing to accept the lap band as the next best alternative. This bias toward surgery is reinforced by hospitals and surgeons and the manufacturer of the device, all of whom are going profit by promoting the utility and value of the Lap-Band procedure.
In contrast, medical weight loss is performed in an outpatient setting. Hospitals and manufacturers of devices cannot profit from this type of delivery of healthcare. Furthermore, medical weight loss involves an intellectual fund of knowledge that is not easily packaged or sold. Don't be confused by franchised weight loss centers, these do not adhere to the same highest standards such as those at the Petteruti Center.
Unlike medical weight loss which has an extraordinary safety record, the Lap-Band has some dangerous potential consequences. Infection, laceration of the intestines, heart attack and blood clots to the lungs, are only a few of the immediate risk that patients face. Should they come through the surgery unscathed, they still have to deal with the fact that they now have foreign material implanted in their abdomen. Complications can include erosion through the stomach as the rubber rubs up against the tissue, chronic abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Then there is the unknown consequence of leaving the device in over decades. Any man-made device or material breaks down, ruptures or otherwise malfunctions. We do not yet know what a 20-year-old lap band will look like when complications arise. It is possible that many of these patients will require another surgical procedure to retrieve damaged, malfunctioning or otherwise ineffective lap bands. And what's the payoff for all of this Hazard? Maybe 25 or 30 pounds of weight loss.
At The Petteruti Center we don't consider that a final outcome, we consider that a good beginning. With weight loss exceeding 60 pounds for patients with body mass index greater than 35, the results at The Petteruti Center exceed Lap-Band outcomes without the risk of surgery. In summary it is my strong advice that Lap Band surgery never be considered by patients battling significant weight issues. Medical weight loss is safer, more effective and more economical. It's our position at The Petteruti Center that Lap Band surgery should be considered experimental and risky, and should be eliminated from the practice of medicine. Our opinion regarding Lap-Band surgery does not extend to more conventional gastric bypass procedures. We will comment on those in future blogs.
-Dr. Stephen Petteruti