The risks involved in getting a gastric lap band surgery are specific to this method and also includes risks similar to other types of surgeries. Surgeries on overweight patients do have general risks due to the fact that the patients are not exactly in good shape.

The most serious possibility is the event of death during the procedure or after wards in the recovery period. Despite the development of this technique 50 or so years ago, it has only been approved in the United States in 2001. Since its approval, only a few cases of death from the procedure have been reported. There is no official statistical probability so it is estimated to be less than a percent. The number may seem small but when you are looking at thousands of patients, the numbers would be in the hundreds or even more.

There have been no reported deaths from this procedure in Australia among 2,700 patients who have undergone it. Australia pioneered the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band technique and has been using it in over 90% of weight related surgeries since 1994. One of the important factors contributing to this is the experience of the surgeon. Surgeons who have performed this procedure over a hundred times definitely have a higher success rate.

The factors which determine the risks of a patient include one’s age, weight, preexisting medical condition and reaction to anesthetics. The only risk specific to this procedure is gastric perforation. This occurs when the stomach lining would be torn. It only happens in 1% of all cases. The surgeon should be able to advise the patient his or her chances of success in undergoing the procedure after being assessed for the operation.

Most of the complications will happen after the gastric lap band surgery has been done. The majority of the patients will experience some kind of complication weeks and even months after the surgery. The complications will vary from one patient to another and these range from mild cases to more severe ones.

About half of the patients will experience nausea and vomiting. A third of the patients will suffer from gastroesophageal reflux. The band in about 25% of the patients may slip. A little over 10% of the patients will experience some blockage in the alimentary canal region near the band.

The cases from moderate to severe include difficulties in swallowing, indigestion, and the erosion of the lap band. There might be some twisting or leakage or even Gastric Band Slippage.

Gastric Bypass Surgery

In this procedure, the stomach is stapled to form a pouch similar in the lap band procedure. A part of the intestinal tract will be attached to the pouch. Some sections of the intestines and the stomach will be bypassed. These bypassed sections will no longer be processing the ingested food. The patient will feel full much faster than he or she would before undergoing the procedure. This means the patient will also absorb fewer calories.

Gastric Lap Band Surgery

What this procedure fundamentally does is place a silicone band that acts as a girdle on the stomach. This band is inflatable and will shrink the size of the stomach which in turn will reduce the capacity to store food. This is in effect puts the person on an involuntary diet because not much food could be ingested at a time. The small pouch holding the ingested food could only contain 30ml of substance.

This procedure is just as invasive as the gastric bypass surgery but it is done with the use of a laparascopic techniques. There will be no stapling or blocking off of sections of the digestive tract. The same feeling of satiation could be achieved without resorting to permanently changing the route of the ingested food.

What the procedure does, however, is slow down the digestion of the food. The band is adjustable through the use of injected fluids such as saline solution that would be deposited under the skin. The patient would give his or her feedback to the doctor on the level of comfort and discomfort varying amounts of the solution would have. These are part of the adjustments that would be made to their bands.

Other notable differences are in the recovery period. Patients of gastric bypass surgery will need to be confined in the hospital for two to three days Gastric Band Operation. The lap band surgery patient can return home within the same day of undergoing the procedure. The recovery time for lap band patients is shorter and the weight loss experience also varies.

Gastric bypass surgery and stomach stapling are more complex than the lap band procedure. In lap band, no part of the digestive tract would be removed and the procedure is reversible. This is why it is popular among patients who are unwilling to undergo permanent changes under surgery.

What is basically done in a lap band surgery is that a silicon band is placed around the upper part of the patient’s stomach. The band would be inflated and shrink the capacity of the stomach to store food. It acts like a stomach girdle, so to speak. The feeling of this constrictive device would make the patient feel less hungry and easily satiated by smaller meal portions. This is actually going to make the patient go on a diet without the discomfort of the pangs of hunger.

This treatment is considered to be safer than other procedures that have lasting and irreversible effects. To date, over 200,000 procedures of this kind are performed annually across the globe. Over the years, seeking the treatment overseas is growing popular because the costs are less compared to the ones offered in the U.S. Neighboring countries such as Lap Band Mexico would offer the procedure for far less the amount it would cost in the U.S. ( see Mexico Gastric Lap band Costs compared to the USA) This is economical yet one has to study this option carefully since it is related to one’s health. There are other things to look for such as post-surgery consultations and the availability of the doctor to attend to any arising complications.

There is ample protection for patients within the United States but the same could not be said for those overseas. There simply is no guaranteed recourse should anything in the treatment go wrong. Despite the procedure being simple, the recovery period is important and crucial for this procedure to successfully contribute to one’s weight goals. You would be secure seeking this treatment from a well-equipped medical facility with experienced doctors. This could not be said with certainty about the options overseas.

Not all doctors could be qualified enough to use such a procedure. The surgeon must have the necessary training and license to practice this procedure on any patient. Surgeons in Asia and Latin America may or may not be qualified to do so.

Alternative places to visit is Private Gastric Banding in UK, Gastric Lap Band Surgery in Belgium,

So why has Belgium become such a popular destination in Europe?

The huge cost savings compared to a country like UK, as for example approx 9,000 for the procedure to compared to Belgium where the same operation would only cost half that amount. With this cost saving the quality has not been downgraded.

Quality of surgery: Belgium has a long been known for an affordable and high quality weight loss surgery medical centres. Laparoscopy, in fact is one of the areas of expertise of Belgian medical tourism for a long time. Gastric Lap Band or Gastric bypass is done by laparoscopy where possible and as this means a reduced stay in hospital, the patients too find this a great choice.

Belgiums secondary infection rate is the best in the world compared to 175 different countries surveyed. Their secondary infection rate is as low as 0.5% compared to UK around 10%.

Belgium has achieved a very high surgical expertise mainly due to the quality of training given to its doctors. Typically their Belgian doctors are trained for a minimum of seven years; for specialists it is 12 years.

A problem with overseas surgery is the follow up inspections that can easy be one in England or Ireland though their network as they have links to local doctors to ensure all is well.

No need to wait for the surgery: As UK is famous for its waiting on the NHS. In Belgium, you set the date for the surgery, after initial tests are done, surgery is next.

Waiting is nearly zero, gone are the days of waiting months like UK, now you can choice your date and next stop is your surgery.

Climate and language: The climate is much about the same as the UK with warmer summers and colder winters. Dutch, French, and German are the official languages but a lot of young people do speak English, too. Hence, there is usually no communication problem.

Laparoscopic gastric surgery in Belgium is one of the popular choices with medical tourists from the UK not only because it is affordable but also because it is very convenient.

Mexico: $ 6,500 ~ $ 8,000
USA: $ 13,000 ~ $ 35,000

Except the actual costs, there are some other financial considerations to look into. For example, US health plans, such as Medicare and Medicaid, will only cover the cost of the lap band surgery if the patient can prove that their BMI (body mass index) is higher than 40. Futhermore you will have to able to demonstrate a history of previous attempts at weight loss.

Therefore any patient who does not meet the above requirements does not qualify for health plan coverage for the gastric banding surgery. This effectively puts gastric lap band surgery out of reach for many people in the USA. You will have find your own money or get funding for gastric band through bank loans to finance a lap band surgery in Mexico.

Taking into all these factors Mexico as a medical destination for gastric lap band surgery is quite attractive. Even after will include travel and hotel expenses related to a gastric surgery trip to Mexico, a 50% to 60% cost savings can quite easily be achieved.

Countries such as Mexico and India are able to provide low cost lap band surgery because the general cost of living is much lower than in USA, having less overhead expences for the hospital & medical professionals.

Low cost lap band surgery in Mexico does not mean the quality is substandard. As Mexico has some of the most experienced and qualified lap band surgeons around. Hundreds of Americans visit Mexico for gastric lap band surgery every month.

Many Mexican surgeons are certified by lap band manufacturer INAMED Health (now Allergan) to train (proctor) other doctors in America (including in United States).

Here’s a few question you will need to ask to check whether the private surgery will cover:

• Does the private surgery cover the pre–op assessment blood tests and ECG? Surgeon, physician and dietitian fees?
• Are all hospital costs and operation costs included? Fees for surgeon and anaesthetist? What happens if there’s complications and you need to stay in hospital or need more specialised care?
• Is Follow up treatment included? What period of care is covered? How many visits to the surgeon (and how many band fills is incurred?) What about the dietitian? Does it include blood tests for RNY/BPD/DS patients? What if you need additional care?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions regarding your private surgery for gastric banding and what it entails. Many gastric band surgery packages will offer two band fills which normally is not enough. As many patients require several more adjustments over the next two years after the surgery to reach their weight loss goals. If possible get a package with slightly more of surgeon appointments and dietitians follow–up after surgery than to be faced with the dilemma of not doing as well as you had hoped and having to find the money for additional appointments.

Its a pity but most of the UK private health insurance companies will not reimburse the costs of the gastric band surgery as they see obesity is a chronic condition. BOSPA is lobbying the private insurers to adopt a more enlightened approach – treating the obesity will more than likely reduce the likelihood of the insurer having to pay out for many other treatments over subsequent years.

Some patients chose to travel to France or other countries like Belgium for gastric lap band surgery which will be done privately because the basic costs of the operation are considerably lower. However, you may miss out on the follow up care services that UK surgery will provide. Many surgeons may actually refuse to see you even privately if you have had your gastric surgery done abroad.

Whichever route you choose to follow for your surgery, the most important aspect is the follow up care and typically that provided at specialist UK obesity surgery centres will undoubtedly be the best. Multidisciplinary teams of doctors will ensure that the correct attention is given to all aspects of follow up such as weight loss progress, diet, exercise and social aspects, as well as the correct functioning of the alterations made to your anatomy by the surgery. This quality of care should not be compromised by your seeking treatment privately.

History of Gastric Lap Band Surgery in Mexico

Mexico had an early start over USA when it comes to gastric banding surgery and has been doing successful surgeries since the 1980’s compared to USA who got FDA (food and drug administration) to approve the process of lap band surgery in the USA in 2001.

The good news for all people seeking gastric banding surgery in Mexico is that the cost of the surgery has been going down steadily over the years but at the same time the standards of the medical facilities has been steadily going up.

Now many facilities in Mexico meet or exceed U.S. standards, and boast of state of the art medical equipment. This is again attributed not only to the lower “operating costs” in Mexico but also to the fact that gastric lap band surgery has had a head start in Mexico over U.S.

Mexican Hospitals – Where to go for Gastric Lap Banding Surgery?

When choosing a suitable hospital for your lap band surgery in Mexico costs should not be the only criteria. There are certain factors the patient needs to take into account besides costing.

Here are some of them:

Decide on which type of facilities would be better for your personal needs: a hospital and a clinic (surgery center)? Doctors would advise going for a fully integrated hospital. The reason is in rare cases of unexpected surgical emergency or medical complication a hospitals will have better means to handle it. Also important that patients select a hospital with ICU, Blood Bank, MRI, Pharmacy, Cafeteria, X-Ray, and doctor offices at the same premises. Other thing to consider is the geographic location of the facility.

Whats the past record & reputation of the hospital? The hospital staff should know English. IF you bring along a friend while your in Mexico does your friend have a place to stay. Certain hospitals in Mexico do provide boarding arrangements.

Important is the credentials & experience of the surgeon. Things to look for here are successful surgeries the doctors have carried out in the past. More the surgeries generally the better the doctor. Check if the surgeons are certified by the medical board. Do they speak good English?

Gastric Banding in Belgium

Having your Gastric Lap Banding Surgery in Belgium has become very common, and Belgium has become one of the medical tourism destinations in Europe for Weight Loss Surgery and especially laparoscopic gastric band surgery.

Why is Belgium a popular Gastric Lap Band Surgery destination in Europe?

1. Huge cost savings: In the UK for example, you may have to pay a whopping £ 9,000 – £ 12,000 for the gastric lap band, whereas the same procedure in Belgium will cost around £ 4,000. Surpisingly with this savings the quality of the gastric banding surgery is not less.
2. Quality of surgery: Belgium has a long been known for an affordable and high quality weight loss surgery medical centers. Laparoscopy, in fact is one of the areas of expertise of Belgian medical tourism for a long time. Gastric Lap Band or Gastric bypass is done by laparoscopy where possible and as this means a reduced stay in hospital, the patients too find this a great choice.

Belgian hospitals have very high standards of hygiene standards and always uses the latest technology. Recently, The World Markets Research Centre put Belgium on top of a list of 175 countries on ratings done for medical purposes, one of the ratings being secondary infection or Staph rates. Belgium’s secondary infection rate was found to be on an average less than 0.5% compared with 10% in the UK.

Belgium has achieved  a very high surgical expertise mainly due to the quality of training given to its doctors. Typically their Belgian doctors are trained for a minimum of seven years; for specialists it is 12 years.

3.  Follow-up feature: Quite often patients are scared off by this part when it comes to oveseas treatment. However, as with Belgium,  many doctors do offer follow-up checks through their network in the UK and Ireland.

4.  No need to wait for the surgery: As UK is famous for its waiting on the NHS. In Belgium, you set the date for the surgery, after initial tests are done, surgery is next.

5.  Belgium is just around the corner: You can fly, drive down or take a train. With Eurostar offering you quick and convenient train service from London. Major European highways pass through Belgium where Eurolines coaches can easily access from anywhere in Europe.

6. Climate and language: The climate is much about the same as the UK with warmer summers and colder winters. Dutch, French, and German are the official languages but a lot of young people do speak English, too. Hence, there is usually no communication problem.

Laparoscopic gastric lap band surgery in Belgium is one of the popular choices with medical tourists from the UK not only because it is affordable but also because it is very convenient.

Myth 2: The surgery results are an unhealthy rapid weight loss
Weight loss will never occur overnight and if it did would not be healthy. A good target lose is around 2-3 pounds a week, if you follow a doctor’s eating and exercise plan accordingly. And of course it will depend on your starting weight and your weight loss goals too.

Myth 3: The surgery prevents proper nutrition
Not true at all gastric band surgery will still allow you proper nutritions. Many doctors will prescribe vitamins and supplements to take after the surgery in order to help the recovery process. Individuals can still get proper nutrition.

Myth 4: You will have to eat only a liquid diet
You won’t be on a liquid diet forever that is only during the recovery process after gastric banding surgery which is approximately 4 weeks. Of course you shouldn’t continue to eat the super sized fast food meals like before, but you can eat solid foods. The idea is to eat smaller portioned meals, three times a day because the smaller amount will still give you a full feeling for longer.

Myth 5: Lap Band Surgery is an easy way to lose weight
People tend to view Gastric Lap Band as an easy solution for a lifetime weight problem. Instead it should be viewed as a commitment one makes to change their life for the better. It is for people who have tried diets and exercise yet nothing seems to help. It might be a difficult life change, but it is worth it because it is the safe way for overweight individuals to successfully lose the pounds.

Myth 6: Even if you lose the weight, you will gain it back
The secret is making a lifelong commitment. If you make the commitment to lose the weight and change old eating habits, you will of course lose the weight. If you continue to eat like you used to, then your chances of losing a large amount of weight decreases.

Myth 7: The follow-up care is not important
The follow-up care is the most important part because changing your eating habits and old lifestyle is what leads to healthy weight loss.

There are two types of gastric band slippage; anterior and posterior which basically refers to whether the back or front side of the stomach slips. Gastric band Slippage or prolapse is where the stomach slides up through the Band, making the pouch bigger. If this happens to a patient its because the Band usually becomes too tight, and patients will experience symptoms of reflux (heartburn) as well as nausea and vomiting. This is due to the amount of stomach being “squeezed” by the Gastric Band is increased, thereby obstructing the Band.

Anterior slippage is where the front of the stomach slips up though the band. We try to prevent this by suturing the stomach below the Band to the stomach above the Band, “locking” the Band in place in the right spot. In spite of this, slippage still occurs. It can happen for two reason, one because the surgeon haven’t placed enough stitches, or they haven’t been placed in the right place or secondly slippage can also occur if patients eat too much and vomits frequently.

Posterior slippage was more commonly seen when the Gastric Banding was placed by the “perigastric” technique. With this technique the back side of the stomach was free to slide up through the Band. Now a days surgeons use the “pars flaccida” technique, which was developed to prevent this form of slippage, and has more or less eliminated the incidence of this problem.

Is Lap Band Slippage Rare or Common?
Unfortunately, at this time there’s not much data on the frequency (or rarity) of Lap Band slippage in post-surgery patients. As this surgery increases in popularity and longevity, there will certainly be more data available on the frequency of Lap Band slippage in patients,

How is a slipped Band diagnosed?

This is very easy, as diagnosis is made based on the history of the patient. A patient who has been going along fine, with no problems, and then suddenly develops reflux symptoms or symptoms of a too-tight Band will most likely have a slipped Gastric Band. The diagnosis is easily confirmed with an x-ray and barium swallow examination.

How is a slipped Band fixed?

A slipped Band needs to be fixed with another operation. The Gastric Band has to be dissected out, all the sutures removed, and the position of the stomach made right. Some surgeons remove the Band and place it back with a new one and others just straighten things out.

What happens if the Band slips again?

One could certainly try to fix the slip again by again another surgery, but my personal view is that, for whatever reason, the Band is just not working for that particular patient, and ought to be removed.