High Rate of Revisions for Lap Band Surgery

[James Marusek 5,244]

The decision to undergo gastric band surgery is a difficult one in itself to make. But findings from a new study have now made that decision even tougher, because an additional surgery – or two, or three, or more – may also be necessary.

Nearly 1 in 5 morbidly obese patients who underwent the weight-reduction surgery were forced to have another operation to correct problems related to the initial surgery, states the authors of a paper published today in the journal JAMA Surgery. Among the malfunctions are incidents when the band that wraps around the stomach slips, or the band erodes into the stomach itself.

http://www.acsh.org/news/2017/05/17/1-5-gastric-band-surgeries-require-corrective-operations-11290

[Berry78 4,259]

Looks like insurance companies will be deciding whether to pay for band installation. Once (if) insurances stop paying for the band, it will become a do do bird...

[LaLa Ladybug 57]

Got mine 12/2009. Worked fantastic. Slipped early 2013 & finally lost mine 10/2013. I'm now set for RNY in July. My surgeon at our local center who did my band will not even place them anymore.

[Jengo825 37]

Same here. My Lapband has been, and still is, a nightmare, until my revision on July 5th. I've never been able to eat the 1 cup unless it was a slider. I would get deathly I'll on most solid foods after chewing well, small bites, right foods, etc. Finally, I had a test with my gastro and my stomach was inflamed, opening from pouch to stomach closed, esophagitis, gastritis, ulcers, and a slipped band (probably from throwing up for the last 6 years! I hate this thing! Oh, and I only lost 30 lbs. Revising to RNY so I don't gain it back. I'm very nervous about having this done, because of my age, but I really don't have a choice at this point.