Lap Band Risks

Researchers found that close to 50% of patients who have laparoscopic gastric banding for obesity may ultimately need to have the devices taken off due to some problem or the other.

Nearly 82 patients who have had lap-band surgery were tracked for at least 12 years and data revealed that 49 of them had atleast one reoperation due to some complication or device failure.

Dr. Jacques Himpens, of Saint Pierre University Hospital in Brussels, and colleagues said, "The high failure rate of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, at least in our hands, could be detrimental to its future continued widespread use as a restrictive weight-loss operation."

Researchers also found that out of 78 patients who underwent the original lap-band procedure, 60 percent expressed satisfaction. Further, patients had also lost about 43 percent of their excess weight at the time of follow-up.



Source: Medindia