Gastric Banding Surgery

Gastric banding is a type of surgery to help a patient when dieting and exercise fail to help with weight loss. Gastric banding is only recommended for obese patients who meet these conditions:
- Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 40
- Have a BMI between 35 and 39.9 and have a serious obesity-related disease such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or sleep apnea

During the surgery, the stomach is divided into two smaller parts by a special band. The part of the stomach that receives food from the esophagus becomes smaller causing the patient to eat less food and to feel full with a very small amount of food. A special band is connected with a reservoir that is placed under the skin. A saline solution can be injected or withdrawn from the reservoir to adjust the tightness of the band. After surgery, a strict diet regimen must be followed to ease the patient back to eating regular foods. The surgery is considered successful when 50% of excess weight is lost and that loss is sustained up to five years. A regular exercise program will be part of the lifestyle change required to maintain weight lost and improve health. A lifetime regimen of vitamins and prescribed medicine is also required after surgery.