Gastric Band Surgery – Enormous Saving In India
What is Gastric Band Surgery?
Gastric Band Surgery is a type of weight loss surgery procedure performed to limit the amount of food a person can eat. Gastric Band surgery is the only option today that effectively treats morbid obesity in people for whom more conservative measures such as diet, exercise, and medication have failed.In Gastric Band Surgery, no part of the stomach is removed and the digestive process remains intact. A band is used to separate the stomach into two parts, one of which is a very small pouch that can hold about one ounce of food. The food from this “new” stomach empties into the closed-off portion of the stomach and then resumes the normal digestive process. Over time, the pouch can expand to hold two to three ounces of food. Because the size of the stomach is reduced so dramatically, this type of procedure is referred to as a restrictive procedure.After gastric banding, a person can eat only about three-quarters to one cup of food. The food must be well chewed. Eating more than the stomach pouch can hold may result in nausea and vomiting. Restrictive procedures pose fewer risks than gastric bypass procedures, but they are also less successful because continuous overeating can stretch the pouch so that it accommodates more food.The types of Gastric Band procedures include:
- Adjustable Gastric Band(AGB)
This procedure involves attaching an inflatable band around the top portion of the stomach and tightening it like a belt to form a small pouch that serves as a new, much smaller stomach. After the procedure, the diameter of the band around the stomach can be adjusted by a physician by adding or removing saline (salt water). No staples are used in this procedure, which is relatively new in the US.
Like other restrictive procedures, AGB may not achieve significant weight loss. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an AGB system in 2001 that can be put in place with a laparoscope (a small thin tube with a video camera attached) rather than with an open incision for patients who are morbidly obese, as indicated by a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more.
- Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG)
This procedure uses a combination of staples and a band to create the pouch. There is a dime-sized opening at the bottom of the “new” stomach that opens into the rest of the larger stomach. Plastic tissue or mesh is wrapped around the opening to help prevent the opening from stretching. Weight loss is about 45 percent of extra body weight at one year after the surgery.
VBG and AGB may be performed with a laparoscope rather than through an open incision in some patients. This procedure uses several small incisions and three or more laparoscopes – small thin tubes with video cameras attached – to visualize the inside of the abdomen during the operation. The physician performs the surgery while looking at a TV monitor. Laparoscopic gastric surgery usually reduces the length of hospital stay and the amount of scarring, and often results in quicker recovery than an “open” or standard procedure.Persons with a BMI of 60 or more or persons who have already had some type of abdominal surgery are usually not considered as a candidate for the laparoscopic technique.
Who is an Ideal candidate for Gastric Band Surgery?
It might be, but the final decision lies with your surgeon or Endocrinologist. Listed below are indications that you are suitable for gastric band placement:
· BMI (Body Mass Index) above 40 or between 35 to 40 in the presence of other associated diseases that may improve with weight loss – high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnoea, painful joint condition arthritis proven by x-ray
· Aged at least 18 years
· Stable obesity for more than five years
· Diet failure or weight loss drug therapy for more than one year
· Absence of glandular diseases such as hypothyroidism
· Full understanding of the procedure and compliance by you including your commitment to long term follow up care
· No dependency on alcohol or drugs
· No specific medical or psychological reasons why weight loss surgery should not be performed. If you are uncertain contact us and we will discuss this with you.
Procedure of Gastric Band Surgery:
Restrictive Gastric Band Surgery requires a stay in the hospital. Procedures may vary depending on the type of procedure performed and your physician’s practices.Gastric Band Surgery will be performed while you are asleep under general anesthesia. Your physician will discuss this with you in advance.Generally, Gastric Band Surgery follows this process:
- You will be asked to remove clothing and will be given a gown to wear.
- An intravenous (IV) line may be started in your arm or hand.
- You will be positioned lying on your back on the operating table.
- A urinary catheter may be inserted.
- The anesthesiologist will continuously monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery.
- The skin over the surgical site will be cleansed with an antiseptic solution.
- For an open procedure, the physician will make a single large incision in the abdominal area. For a laparoscopic procedure, a series of small incisions will be made. Carbon dioxide gas will be introduced into the abdomen to inflate the abdominal cavity so that the appendix and other structures can easily be visualized.
- For an adjustable gastric band procedure, a hollow band will be placed around the top end of the stomach to create the small pouch that will serve as the new stomach. A narrow passage will connect to the rest of the stomach. The band will be inflated with a salt solution.
- For a vertical banded gastroplasty procedure, the pouch will be created with a line of staples.
- A drain may be placed in the incision site to remove fluid.
- The incision(s) will be closed with stitches or surgical staples.
- A sterile bandage/dressing will be applied.
After the Procedure of Gastric Band Surgery:
After the procedure, you will be taken to the recovery room for observation. Once your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing are stable and you are alert, you will be taken to your hospital room. Malabsorptive stomach surgery usually requires an in-hospital stay of several days.You may receive pain medication as needed, either by a nurse or by administering it yourself through a device connected to your intravenous line.You will be encouraged to move around as tolerated while you are in bed, and then to get out of bed and walk around as your strength improves.
At first you will receive fluids through an IV. After a day or two you will be given liquids, such as broth or clear juice, to drink. As you are able to tolerate liquids, you will be given thicker liquids, such as pudding, milk, or cream soup, followed by foods that you do not have to chew, such as hot cereal or pureed foods. Your physician will instruct you about how long to eat pureed foods after surgery. By one month after your procedure, you may be eating solid foods.You will be instructed about taking nutritional supplements to replace the nutrients lost due to the reconstruction of the digestive tract.Before you are discharged from the hospital, arrangements will be made for a follow-up visit with your physician.
Why go to India for Gastric band surgery:
In India Gastric Band Surgery is the new facility, first of its kind in eastern India after sporadic attempts elsewhere in the country, is also eyeing patients from the west, where the cost of treatment is 15 per cent more and the waiting time enormous. “The facility, being backed by a support group for obese people, is a comprehensive unit, which will benefit not only domestic patients but also thousands of patients in the Americas and Europe, who are showing interest in flying down to get operated in India,” 17 per cent of men and 15 per cent women in India are obese and the numbers are growing by leaps with changing lifestyles and eating.
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