Lap-Band® Adjustable Gastric Band Review

 

The LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band is an inflatable banding system that is placed around the upper stomach to limit food intake in severely obese individuals. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) gave BioEnterics' Inamed unit permission to market the LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band in June 2001. However, recent concerns have surfaced regarding the safety of the medical device.

The FDA's action approved its use only in patients at least 100 pounds overweight or patients who are at twice their ideal body weight and who have failed to lose weight by diet and exercise over an extended period of time. They did not want individuals who were looking for a quick weight loss surgery or were not previously under physicians care.

The FDA concedes that nearly 90% of the patients in a LAP-BAND® study experienced at least one of the following side effects: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, heartburn and slippage of the band. Additionally, nearly 25% of the participants had the band removed due to such side effects or inadequate weight loss.

According to a four-year study of the first 36 users of LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Band, the primary reasons for removing the gastric device included infection, leakage, and band slippage.

The FDA approved it based upon a comparison of its risks and benefits. Severely obese people are at serious risk of developing health problems such as hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and diabetes.

Such a procedure should be reserved for the seriously obese with life threatening health problems. Taking weight loss out of your conscious decision making is a dangerous game to play with your body. It seems to me that if a person without life threatening health problems is this desperate to lose weight that they should be able to find the motivation to follow the sensible and inexpensive course of eating healthy and learning to add exercising to their daily life. Consult your doctor, and be honest with yourself: Have you really expended all your options?

LAP-BAND® is a registered trademark of Allergan, Inc