Gastric Band Procedure

The Adjustable Gastric Band is a hollow band made of sylastic which is placed around the upper third portion of your stomach to create a small stomach pouch that initially holds 2 ounces of food, and eventually holds up to 4 to 6 ounces. Creating this restricted stomach space in the upper portion of the stomach causes a longer lasting feeling of fullness because the nerves that signal the brain when you're full are located in the upper area of the stomach. The band further works by slowly allowing the food you eat to be released into the lower portion of the stomach for digestion.


Immediately after surgery the band is empty. About six weeks after surgery, or whenever a plateau in weight loss is reached, the surgeon may add a small amount of saline in the band. While the band can hold about 4 to 5 cc's of saline, only small amounts of saline are added each time.


Patients are allowed to return home the same day or sometimes require to stay overnight with release from the hospital about 24 hours post surgery.

Advantages:

	It can be adjusted to increase or decrease restriction.
	Surgery can be reversed.
	Digestion and absorption is normal.
	A patient can safely undergo pregnancy without any nutritional deficiencies and can have a healthy baby.