Adjustable Gastric Band

The placement of a gastric band involves the principle of gastric restriction. The band is placed with the help of laparoscopy on the outside of the upper stomach, and thus, dividing the stomach into two portions (such as a ring), an upper (small) and a lower portion (large). The upper portion will receive the esophagus, and be smaller, thus will only be able to hold a limited amount of food. After ingesting a certain amount of food, the patient will begin to feel a sensation of fullness. Thus the patient decreases the intake of food and as a result, will begin to loose weight. In some cases, this procedure will need to be performed through the traditional/ open surgical technique.

This procedure is done under general anesthesia, and it is essential that the patient is mentally prepared to make drastic changes in lifestyle such as the implementation of a physical exercise routine and improving his/her eating habits.

After the placement of the gastric band, the patient will be staying at the clinic for 1 day, but then must remain in the city or in the country for follow up. This involves a few doctor office visits and checkups, before heading home or to their country of origin.

Despite being a minimally invasive bariatric procedure, “it is not a magic wand”. It also depends on the patient. “The doctor can not eat for the patient and the doctor can not do exercise for the patient”. This means that besides undergoing the surgical procedure, the patient must also change certain “daily bad habits” in order for the procedure to work at its maximal capacity.

This procedure purely involves a voluntary restriction on food intake.