Gastric bypass surgery greatly differs from the LAP-BAND ® alternative. Although both of these bariatric surgery techniques help patients lose substantial amounts of weight, each has a completely different surgical process. LAP-BAND ® surgery has a much less complicated step by step procedure, different than that of gastric bypass surgery.
Key Similarities
Both gastric bypass and Lap-Band surgery get performed while patients remain unconscious. Anesthesia helps patients fall into a sedated sleeping state, enabling a pain free surgery.
Sometimes, surgeons will perform open surgery for the gastric bypass and LAP-BAND ® procedures. This technique involves making one large incision on the stomach region so that the entire cavity will open. In other cases, the surgeon will use the laparoscopic surgical method. In this process, a series of smaller incisions will allow for the medical team to insert surgical tools through the stomach flesh and into the treatment area.
Laparoscopic surgery serves as a much less invasive technique. Patients choose either gastric bypass surgery or LAP-BAND ® surgery in an attempt to lose weight. Most patients who choose these options have struggled with other weight loss techniques. Gastric bypass, along with the LAP-BAND ® option, serve as two of the most extreme weight loss measures since they both transform the way the stomach works.
Both surgeries allow the patient’s body to absorb less food nutrients.
LAP-BAND ® Information
LAP-BAND ® surgery simply involves inserting an elastic type band around the stomach. In this process, the tied band restricts the amount of food that enters the stomach. Some bands make the stomach the size of a racquet ball. Others shrink the stomach even further.
This surgery option allows for adjustments in that the band either tightens or loosens based on saline inflation or deflation treatments.
In short, this surgery helps patients feel fuller in a shorter period of time. The satisfied nature lasts for longer periods of time as well. LAP-BAND ® surgery takes less time than gastric bypass surgery also.
Gastric Bypass Information
As of 2010, two types of gastric bypass surgery remain available to patients. One type, named the Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass, works by changing the flow of food in the patient’s body without adjusting the stomach size. Another process, named biliopancreatic diversion, actually involves stomach tissue removal combined with a bypass feature as well.
All gastric bypass techniques involve attaching a part of the small intestine to a stomach pouch. This procedure allows food to pass by the major stomach and pass through the minor pouch in a much faster manner. This helps patients intake fewer food nutrients into their blood and organs, resulting in substantial weight loss.
Recovery Similarities and Differences
Both the gastric bypass technique along with the LAP-BAND ® option causes patients some degree of soreness and swelling. Most patients receive pain medication prescriptions from their surgeon in order to ease post surgery discomfort.
LAP-BAND ® patients have the ability to leave the hospital a few hours after surgery concludes. Gastric bypass patients must wait multiple days at the hospital in order to properly recover; this also allows surgeons and the medical team to make sure no further complications will occur.
Both surgeries require patients to develop diet and exercise plans in order to increase the results of the surgery.
