Gastric band perth
Gemma had a gastric band and lost 10kg in 3 months.
Gastric
band
Expected excess weight loss:
30 %Average procedure time:
30 minutesAverage recovery time:
2 weeksLaparoscopic Gastric Band
Laparoscopic gastric banding was as a very popular weight loss surgery during the 1990s and early 2000s. However, since the advent of the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, it has been placed almost completely into the historical archives.
What is gastric band surgery?
Gastric Band Surgery is a procedure where a bariatric surgeon places a ring of silicone rubber around the top of your stomach. This constricts the stomach and limits what can pass through.
Initially, it was done with a permanent device that was fixed in place, but this is now replaced with the silicone version. It has also been developed further to include the placement of a balloon inside the band. This means that the band can be partially controlled, and tightened and released as needed.
It does work to help people lose weight, but you have to be really strict with your diet to avoid complications. Any indiscretions are punished by vomiting and the pain of food getting stuck.
Benefits of gastric banding
Minimally invasive
Surgical procedure and initial recovery phase are less traumatic
Adjustable
Reversible
Gastric banding | Perth bariatric surgeons
Disadvantages of gastric banding
The type of food that you can eat is very restricted. For example:
- Chicken breast, steak and bread can NEVER be consumed;
- Vegetables are difficult to eat;
- Salads can be difficult to eat;
- All foods must be chewed thoroughly and carefully.
Risks of gastric banding
Slippage of the band can cause severe discomfort, and this is possible even years after the original date of the surgery. The risk of this occurring is high, at 1 in 6 patients.
The picture below shows how the stomach wall can squeeze its way up through the band and get stuck above the gastric band. This is what is referred to as a slippage.
Erosion of the stomach can result in a very serious medical condition. The risk of this occurring is 1 in 100 patients.
The picture below shows the band having pushed its way into the stomach and now sitting on the inside of the stomach.
There is a risk of perforation during the gastric band insertion surgery. This is more prevalent if there is scarring behind the stomach, as it can be very difficult to place the band. It is possible to make a hole in the stomach resulting in leakage of the stomach contents. This can result in a serious infection. The risk of this occurring is 1 in 600 patients.
What have we learned from gastric banding?
We have learned a lot from gastric bands about weight loss, stomach and esophageal physiology, obesity surgery, and eating psychology. These lessons strengthen the field of bariatric surgery even today. However, we also know that gastric banding doesn’t provide adequate weight loss for most people, and a sleeve gastrectomy provides a much better quality of life (and quality of eating).
Can I still benefit from a gastric band?
To achieve significant improvement on any comorbidities that you might be experiencing, you may only need to lose 5-10% of your body weight. Comorbidities are the presence of one or more additional medical conditions that co-occur with the primary condition. For example, the occurrence of diabetes in the presence of obesity is a common comorbidity.
This lower percentage of weight loss can be achieved with a gastric band with minimal inflation. With this setting, the bands are well tolerated and cause weight loss without the difficulty with swallowing often seen at higher fill volumes.
Some people do not feel comfortable with a permanent procedure, and so, the option of a procedure which is easily reversible at a later date may be suitable. However, it is important to remember that the removal of the band will frequently result in weight regain. This gain is often to at least the starting weight, but frequently there would be an even greater weight gain.
We do still perform gastric banding in Perth, at the rate of a few per year in special circumstances. Talk to your weight loss surgeon if this seems like the right fit for you, to be sure you have expert advice.
You can contact us at our clinic for our specialist opinion on your unique case. We believe in Taking Surgery Seriously: We know that entering into an operation is a big deal and we are very serious in getting the best outcome for you.
About Obesity Surgery WA: Our 6 commitments
Taking surgery seriously
We know that entering into an operation is a big deal and we are very serious in getting the best outcome for you. We practice what is considered to be a world class standard. Our staff regularly attend national and international conferences and bring back what is the latest research and technology.Running on time
Our Surgeons and all of our staff try their best to run on time. Although it's not always possible, our commitment is that we do our best. Your time is valuable and we respect that.Readily available
Our surgeons (or at least one of them) are always available in a crisis. Some of them may provide you with a direct contact, but all are available through the hospital switchboard and happy to chat any time if there is a crisis.An obsessive attention to detail
We do our best to not miss anything. Every stitch, every staple and every clip is applied to exactly where it needs to be with the greatest care possible.Commitment to performing the best operation possible
Not all operations are the same and there a few extras that we do to make things better. We know that our results are better with the minimiser ring so we offer it to everyone. We know that reflux can be an issue so we try to tighten every oesophageal hiatus to make reflux control as good as possibly can be.A commitment to new technologies
- We have brought in STRETTA into Western Australia, which we believe will revolutionise reflux management. (Have a look at the Stretta page for more information).
- SJOG Murdoch has just purchased a new DaVinci robot and we believe that this will allow us to do operations with keyhole surgery that previously needed a major laparotomy incision. Lynx is on the horizon and promises to also help manage reflux, we hope to have access to this in early 2020.
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About
Obesity Surgery WA is lead by Dr Harsha Chandraratna. After graduating at UWA, Harsha began his surgical training and was made a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2001. Dr Chandraratna understands the impact of obesity. He personally had sleeve gastrectomy surgery, which gives him a really deep level of understanding when he works with his patients on a daily basis.
Meet our team
Dr. Harsha Chandraratna
Consultant Surgeon
MBBS FRACS
Dr. Bill Gong
General and Laparoscopic Surgeon
MBBS FRACS