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The Risks Of Laparoscopic
Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery - by Donald Saunders
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All surgical procedures carry
risks and, while the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band in
general carries fewer risks than many other forms of weight
loss surgery, there are nevertheless risks which you must be
aware of before deciding to undergo surgery. Here we look at
some of the general risks but it should be emphasized that
each patient will also encounter risks specific to their own
case and these will be explained to you by your surgeon. |
Gastric band risks can be broadly divided into two categories
- the risks associated with the surgery itself and the risk of
post-operative complications.
The first and most important risk is that of death which can
occur either during or following surgery. In the case of
gastric band surgery this risk is extremely low and indeed,
during US clinical trials on laparoscopic gastric banding, no
deaths occurred. Major surgery in any form however will always
carry this risk and this should be borne in mind.
The second major risk during surgery is that of gastric
perforation. A tear in the stomach wall can occur during
surgery (and occasionally following and normally as a direct
result of surgery) which will invariably require further
surgery to correct the problem. Once again the risk is low in
the case of gastric band surgery and can be expected to be
seen in about 1 percent of patients.
Other surgical risks are those associated with surgery in
general and will include such things as the risk posed by age,
excessive weight and the presence of pre-existing conditions
and disease. There are also risks associated with medication
used during the procedure (including anesthesia) and the
method used during surgery. It should be noted that while we
talk about laparoscopic gastric band surgery as if it were one
specific operation there are in fact many different ways in
which the procedure can be conducted depending upon the
medical facility in which the operation is carried out and the
surgeon performing the procedure.
The majority of complications following surgery are not
considered to be serious but there are some that may require
hospitalization and, occasionally, further surgery. The most
common post operative complications are nausea and vomiting,
which is seen in about half of all patients, regurgitation,
which is seen in about a third of all patients, gastric band
slippage and associated problems, which is seen in about a
quarter of all patients and stoma obstruction, which is seen
in about 1 patient in 7. Other commonly occurring problems
seen in about 1 patient in 10 include poor esophageal
function, constipation, diarrhea and difficulty swallowing.
Slightly less than 1 patient in 10 is likely to need a second
surgery to adjust the gastric band or to correct other
problems arising out of the initial surgery and a slightly
smaller number are likely to require further surgery to
correct post operative problems with the banding system's
access port.
In addition to these common problems there is also a very long
list of minor complications which will be encountered by a
small number (less than 1 in 100) of patients. These include
such things as gastritis, hiatal hernia, dyspepsia,
flatulence, dehydration and fever.
As with all forms of surgery, gastric band surgery is not
without its risks and these must be fully understood and
weighed against the benefits of surgery.
GastricBypassFacts.info is a growing resource center providing
a wealth of information on obesity as well as on various forms
of gastric bypass surgery including the tradition Roux-en-Y
operation and the latest laparoscopic adjustable gastric band
techniques.
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