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.