Archive for March, 2009

A Comparison: LAP-BAND® vs. Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

Weight-loss surgeries can improve health and longevity in obese and severely overweight individuals. LAP-BAND® and gastric bypass are two of the most popular and highly publicized surgeries available now. But there are some things you should know about these two very different procedures that share the same goal. As you are researching the results and searching for the option that is right for your personal situation, it helps to compare the benefits and risks of both and to talk to a skilled weight-loss surgeon. Let’s look at how the two measure up.

LAP-BAND® Surgery

Cost: Around $10,000

History: LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System received FDA approval in June 2001.

Procedure: During a one-hour surgery, the band is placed around the stomach’s upper area, reducing the size of the stomach pouch. Limits the amount of food that can be consumed in one sitting and satisfies your hunger.  Band is adjustable after the surgery.  The gastrointestinal tract is left intact (no surgical removal or alteration of the stomach or intestine) so there are no leaks and no malabsorption of nutrients.

Maintenance:  Adjustments of the Band periodically are required in conjunction with diet and exercise.

Risks: Low risk of malnutrition and low major complication rate.

Results: Gradual weight loss dependent upon patient commitment to diet and exercise efforts.

 

Gastric Bypass Surgery

Cost: $20,000 +

History: No FDA approval needed. Performed in the U.S. for over 30 years.

Procedure: During a two-hour surgery, the stomach is stapled to create a smaller pouch, then a part of the intestine is rerouted and attached to the pouch. Limits the amount of food that can be consumed and restricts the body’s ability to absorb calories as well as nutrients. Very difficult to reverse.

Maintenance: Sugars must be highly restricted or “dumping syndrome” can occur (70%).   

Risks: Higher risk of operative and post-operative complications including leakage and bowel obstruction.

Results: Rapid weight loss within six months.  Typically there is 20% weight gain within the three to five years.

If you would like to learn more about LAP-BAND® surgery and the benefits this option offers over other weight loss procedures, please visit www.lapbandrockies.com to schedule your confidential consultation.

—Lindsey Kesel, Bariatric Surgery Consultant

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LAP-BAND® in the News

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

The LAP-BAND® procedure is garnering increased attention from the media as new developments and successes are reported. If you haven’t heard of LAP-BAND® yet, it’s the weight-loss surgery designed to help patients lose significant amounts of weight by controlling their hunger with smaller amounts of food in conjunction with behavioral modification (the approach to food), diet and exercise. The “band” is a device that is inserted around the upper stomach and creates a small upper pouch which is adjusted to minimize the opening so the pouch empties slowly.  Hunger is controlled with a small amount of food that can fit in this new stomach pouch, and the result is reduced caloric intake leading to weight loss.

This minimally-invasive weight loss surgery has helped improve the lives of countless overweight or obese men and women since gaining approval in the United States. The Allergan
LAP-BAND® System, the pioneer procedure, received FDA approval in 2001.  The Ethicon Endo-Surgery
REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band, an alternative banding option, was recently approved in June 2007. Although the laparoscopic banding systems vary somewhat in their construction, both achieve very comparable and impressive weight loss results.

You can check out the following links to see how LAP-BAND® is making headlines.

If you would like to learn more about the LAP-BAND® procedure, get started today by visiting the home page of www.lapbandrockies.com, clicking on CONTACT US and filling out the information form.  Once we receive your information, Natalie Cardenas, our Bariatric Coordinator, will contact you by e-mail or phone (please indicate your preference).

—Lindsey Kesel, Bariatric Surgery Consultant

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Are You a Candidate for the LAP-BAND® procedure?

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

You may have heard about the LAP-BAND® procedure and how it can help overweight individuals achieve significant weight loss and all of the corresponding health benefits.  If you’re wondering whether or not this innovative procedure can give you the results you desire, an experienced LAP-BAND® surgeon can clue you in on the requirements for the surgery.

Approved by the FDA in 2001, the LAP-BAND® boasts some incredible success stories. Men and women who’ve tried all sorts of weight-loss efforts to no avail were able to shed large amounts of weight after surgical insertion of the adjustable LAP-BAND®. This procedure is recommended for individuals who are obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher. Patients with a BMI from 35 to 40 are candidates for this surgery if they have co-morbidities including hypertension, sleep apnea or orthopedic problems such as joint pain.  Patients with diabetes are candidates with a BMI of 30 or greater.  All of these co-morbidities can improve or resolve with weight loss.

Here is a brief summary of the primary qualifications for LAP-BAND® surgery:

·      LAP-BAND® recipients should be at least 18 years of age, with an overweight condition for 5 years or more.

·      Potential candidates should be considered obese, or have co-morbidities that may be improved through weight loss.

·      Patients should fully understand the definition of obesity, as well as their obesity treatment options.

·      Ideal candidates should desire to live a healthier lifestyle, have attempted weight loss through diet and exercise, and be committed to the ongoing lifestyle requirements necessary for long-term success after a LAP-BAND® procedure.

·      Initial medical evaluations should clear ideal candidates of any contraindications for the LAP-BAND® surgery.

If you would like to learn more about the LAP-BAND® procedure, you can start by clicking on CONTACT US on the home page of www.lapbandrockies.com and filling out the information form.  You will be contacted in a timely manner by e-mail or phone (please indicate your preference) by Natalie Cardenas, our Bariatric Coordinator.

—Lindsey Kesel, Bariatric Surgery Consultant

 

 

 

 

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LAP-BAND® and Type II Diabetes: Remission as a Added Benefit

Sunday, March 8th, 2009

During the LAP-BAND® procedure, Dr. Kirshenbaum places a safe medical device called a band around the upper stomach, thus restricting the amount of food that can pass through. The benefits of the LAP-BAND procedure are clear — weight loss for improved health and quality of life, plus it is less risky than other weight-loss procedures like gastric bypass.

A New Study Highlights LAP-BAND’s Remission Benefits

LAP-BAND is also proving itself as an effective way to minimize or eliminate the negative health effects of obesity-related conditions like diabetes. In a recent study conducted in Melbourne, Australia, research suggested that LAP-BAND surgery can effectively combat diabetes by encouraging long-term remission as a result of significant weight loss.

In the study, obese diabetes patients with body-mass indexes between 30 and 40 were carefully monitored after undergoing the LAP-BAND procedure, and compared to similar patients who were treated with diet and exercise only. After two years, nearly 75 percent of LAP-BAND patients (but only 13 percent of diet-and-exercise patients) experienced remission. Surgical patients lost an average of 20.7 percent of their body weight, compared to only 2 percent loss for the lifestyle group. The conclusion: Three out of four Type 2 diabetes patients fall into remission within two years of having the LAP-BAND inserted.

These results support an earlier study highlighted by Diabetes Health, which found that 64 percent of LAP-BAND patients experienced remission of type 2 diabetes at the one-year mark.

Health and Confidence as Ongoing Benefits 

The renewed confidence and enhanced self-esteem that LAP-BAND patients experience has been described as priceless. And the ability to become more mobile, to improve overall health, and actively participate in life’s many activities make this procedure invaluable. Not only does the weight loss spurred by the LAP-BAND procedure assist diabetes patients into remission, it can prevent high-risk pre-diabetic patients from ever developing the condition.

In addition to diabetes support, LAP-BAND has shown to have positive results on other serious health conditions such as sleep apnea, hypertension, joint pain, and infertility. The  LAP-BAND procedure is a cost-effective investment in your long-term health, considering the cost of doctor visits, copays, prescriptions, and treatment expenses.

As part of the LAP-BAND Rockies experience, patients receive post-surgery monitoring and nutritional support, including no-charge follow-up consultations. To learn more about the many valuable benefits of LAP-BAND including the procedure’s diabetes effects, please contact Dr. Kirshenbaum at LAP-BAND Rockies. 

—Lindsey Kesel, Bariatric Surgery Consultant

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