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Procedure · Gastric band

The gastric band

How a band works, why it fell out of use, and what to do if you have one.

The short answer

A gastric band is an adjustable silicone ring placed around the top of the stomach by keyhole surgery, tightened over time through a port under the skin. It was common, but surgeons rarely fit bands now: weight loss is usually smaller and less lasting than with a sleeve or bypass, and many bands need another operation later. If you have a band that isn't working, removal or conversion to a sleeve or bypass are the usual options.

  • Adjustablethrough a port under the skin
  • Removablethe only reversible operation
  • Rare nowsleeve and bypass replaced it
  • Revisionthe common question today

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  1. Today. We pass your answers to one clinic whose bariatric surgeons are on the Medical Council's Specialist Register. No one else gets them.
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How a band works

The band makes a small pouch above it, so a little food fills you up and passes slowly through. A thin tube runs from the band to a port under the skin of your tummy, and the band is tightened or loosened by injecting or removing fluid through the port, often several times in the first year.

A clinician in blue scrubs with a stethoscope

Why bands are rarely used now

In the long run, bands tend to give less weight loss than a sleeve or bypass, and a large share need another operation: the band can slip, the pouch can stretch, and the band can wear into the stomach wall. Swallowing problems and vomiting are common when it's too tight. As the sleeve became established, most surgeons stopped fitting bands. In the US, bands now make up under 1% of weight loss operations.

Risks, recovery and results

Fitting a band is keyhole surgery, and many people go home the same day or the next. The longer-term problems are the issue: the band can slip, the pouch above it can stretch, the band can wear into the stomach wall, and the port or tube can leak or move. Tight bands cause vomiting and reflux. Weight loss is usually smaller and less lasting than after a sleeve or bypass.

For most people a sleeve or bypass is the better fit now, which is why few surgeons offer new bands.

If you have a band

  • It's working and you're well: keep up your adjustments and follow-up.
  • You've regained weight, or get reflux, vomiting or pain: see a bariatric surgeon. Removing the band, or replacing it with a sleeve or a bypass, are the usual options. Revision surgery.
  • You had it fitted abroad and have no records: a surgeon here can still assess it with scans and a camera test.

Cost

Few Irish clinics quote for a new band now. Removal and conversion are priced case by case after your assessment.

Questions people ask

Can I still get a gastric band in Ireland?

Very few surgeons fit new bands now. Most recommend a sleeve or bypass instead, for better and longer-lasting results.

What is a lap band?

Another name for the adjustable gastric band, fitted by keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery.

Can a gastric band be removed?

Yes. It's the only weight loss operation that's fully reversible. Removal is often combined with conversion to a sleeve or bypass.

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