Choosing Lap Band Bariatric Surgery DC

These days, it seems like more and more people are choosing some kind of medical assistance when they want to lose weight.  People who have a significant amount of weight to lose are medically termed as obese.  These folks may become candidates for some type of surgical intervention.  Bariatric Surgery DC is intended for patients who have not been able to lose weight by consistently reducing food intake and increasing exercise.

Lap Band Bariatric Surgery Washington DC

There are a few different types of weight loss surgery DC available.  Surgery becomes a consideration for individuals who are morbidly obese based on their body mass index (BMI), or who have a significant amount of weight to lose in combination with another potentially severe health problem like diabetes, arthritis, hypertension and/or sleep apnea.  The type of surgery recommended or chosen will depend on many varied factors in each individual case, and on the preference of the patient, and possibly the parameters of their insurance coverage.

Lap banding is the most frequently performed surgery of this type.  During this procedure, the surgeon places an adjustable band around the top of the patient's stomach.  A port is also installed right under the skin of the stomach, with a tube connecting the band to the port.  Fluid can be injected into the port in order to tighten the lap band.  This reduces the amount of food that will fit in the stomach and makes the patient feel fuller faster.  When fluid is removed from the lap band, the stomach capacity returns to normal.  This procedure is sometimes also called laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

While results from lap band surgery vary, many patients do lose up to half of their body weight with consistent aftercare.  This is considered to be the "simplest" of the surgeries for weight loss; the level of complication is very low.  The most frequently reported side effects are relatively mild, for example, acid reflux.  In a few cases, the patient cannot tolerate the presence of the band and it has to be removed.  The lap band surgery may require somewhat frequent follow-up visits to a healthcare provider for adjustments to the amount of fluid in the lap band.