Lap Band Surgery Results
Lap band surgery results range from superior to mediocre depending on which sources are referenced. Let’s set the record straight…
- How much weight can you expect to lose?
- Lap band results – The Good News
- Lap band results – The Bad News
- How does lap band surgery stack up to other procedures?
Lap Band Surgery
Results :
How Much Weight You Can Expect to
Lose
YOUR Weight Loss Journey
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Given the wide range of reported weight loss following lap band surgery, we have to wonder about the legitimacy of some of the studies. One thing is for certain… regardless of the study source, every surgeon experiences a huge range of weight loss results from patient to patient.
While the average long-term percentage of excess weight lost is around 50% (for example, someone who is 100 pounds overweight can expect to lose 50 pounds on average), your lap band surgery results could be as good as 82% or as bad as 25% or lower of excess weight lost.
To illustrate the potential degree of variation, following are the mean percentages of excess weight lost over the short and long-term from 8 separate studies…
| Studies | # of lap band patients in study |
Weight Loss (% of Excess Weight Lost at…) |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| References: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I | |||
| Study A | 405 | 3 Years – 41.1% | 2009 |
| Study B | 339 | Year 1 – 43.5% Year 3 – 57.7% Year 5 – 49.8% |
2008 |
| Study C | 823 | 1 Year –
53.6% 2 Years – 67.9% 3 Years – 81.3% 4 Years – 82.1% |
2008 |
| Study D | 591 | 6 Months – 45.8% 1 Year – 66.7% 2 Years – 72.6% 4 Years – 75.9% 6 Years – 82.8% 8 Years – 82.3% 10 Years – 82.7% |
2008 |
| Study E | 31 | 1 Year – 40.3% 2 Years – 50.5% 3 Years – 51.9% 4 Years – 48.9% 5 Years – 46.2% 6 Years – 51.8% 7 Years – 30.2% |
2007 |
| Study F | 400 total, but 138 included in year 1 results |
Year 1 - 48.2% | 2007 |
| Study G | 127 | 5 Years, 3 Months – 50.6% | 2007 |
| Study H | 195 | 1 Year – 45.7% | 2007 |
| Study I | 23 | 2 Years – 48.4% | 2004 |
Lap Band Surgery Results - The Good News
First, it is possible to lose a significant amount of weight with lap band surgery. And as one of the above studies shows, this applies to both morbidly obese patients (body mass index from 40 to 49.9) and super obese patients (BMI at or above 50).
Lap band surgery also has extremely low mortality rates. Compared to the already low mortality rate of 0.135% for all types of bariatric surgery, the lap band mortality rate is even less at around 0.09%.1,2
Regarding the improvement or elimination of obesity health problems (also called “co-morbidities”), lap band surgery results in…
- Complete resolution of all co-morbidities in 24% of patients3
- For patients with 3 or more co-morbidities, 100% of them reduce their number of co-morbidities to 2 or fewer3
- Remission of type 2 diabetes achieved by 73% of patients4
- Major improvements in other co-morbidities, including5:
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Depression
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Hyperlipidemia
- Hypertension
- Joint and back pain
- Sleep apnea
- Stress incontinence
- Large reduction in the use of medication5
- Significant improvement in Quality of Life score5
Despite all of the positives, there are a couple of big reasons that you might want to consider a different type of bariatric surgery…
Lap Band Surgery Results - The Bad News
First and foremost is the extremely high rate of minor or annoying lap band problems and lap band complications which have been shown to occur in as many as 33% of patients.6 Problems range anywhere from your body simply not tolerating the band (leading to vomiting or an ongoing feeling of discomfort) to band slippage that can require reoperation. This leads us to the other big negative…
The rate of lap band patients requiring reoperation is high. It has been shown to occur in as many as 37% of patients.6 Reoperation can be the result of not enough weight being lost or complications that require band removal. Our Lap Band Surgery Failure page dives into the particulars.
When comparing the good and the bad lap band surgery results, it’s important to recognize the impact your actions can have.
For example, lap band patients who attend support groups lose noticeably more weight than patients who go it alone.7
See our Bariatric Surgery Complications page to learn the 10 ways to minimize your risk for any type of bariatric surgery.
Comparing Lap Band Surgery Results to Other Procedures
To sum things up, lap band surgery results in fewer serious complications and a lower mortality rate than other procedures. It's also reversible whereas other procedures (generally) are not.
But lap band surgery is also associated with less weight loss, a higher rate of minor complications and a higher rate of reoperation.
The following pages directly compare it to your other surgery options…
- Comparing the major types of bariatric surgery
- Bariatric surgery complications
- Lap band vs gastric bypass surgery
- Bariatric vitamins and which bariatric surgery supplements are required after each surgery
Hear It Straight from the Source... For Free
Most surgeons offer free seminars and/or free one-on-one consultations that teach you about your options and their office's specific results.
For additional research, search for your topic...
Also see...
References
- DukeHealth.org. Duke Medicine News and Communications.
Large-Scale Analysis Finds Bariatric Surgery Relatively Safe.
Available at: http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/
News/large_scale_analysis_finds_bariatric_surgery_relatively_safe. Accessed: August 10, 2009. - Lancaster RT, Hutter MM. Bands and bypasses: 30-day morbidity and mortality of bariatric surgical procedures as assessed by prospective, multi-center, risk-adjusted ACS-NSQIP data. Surg Endosc. 2008;22:2554–63.
- Torchia F, DiMaro A, Rosano P, et al. Lapband system in super-superobese patients (>60 kg/m2): 4-year results. Obes Surg. 2009;19:1211–5.
- Dixon JB, et al. Adjustable Gastric Banding and Conventional Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA. 2008;299(3):316-323. doi: 10.1001/jama.299.3.316
- Ahroni JH, Montgomery KF, Watkins BM. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: weight loss, co-morbidities, medication usage and quality of life at one year. Obes Surg. 2005;15(5):641–7.
- Suter M, Calmes JM, Paroz A, Giusti V (2006) A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity: high long-term complication and failure rates. Obes Surg 16:829–835
- Elakkary E, Elhorrr A, Aziz F, et al. Do support groups play a role in weight loss after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding? Obes Surg. 2006;16:331–4.
[Last editorial review/modification of this page: 1/24/2012]
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