The Adjustable gastric band is a silicon ring that we apply by surgery in the upper segment of the stomach (3 to 5 centimeters) under the sphincter union from the esophagus and the stomach, looking as a sand clock, and when the food goes to the top of the stomach is stopped because the union is little by the band lending the food pass slowly and have a full sensation with few quantity. Gastric band is differentiated with other procedures. Is easy to add, doesn’t requires to cut the stomach or intestines and it is reversible. The hospital post-surgery staying is usually 1 day, because the patient has a rapid recovery and just only a little surgical trauma. In the world are practiced more than 100, 000 gastric bands since 1996 in Latin America and since 2001 in U.S.A. In our group we classifies the bands in hard and soft with individual characteristics depending on the brand. With all that quantity of Band surgeries practiced in the world, lend to follow the progress in the patients and being compared with the Gastric By Pass, biliopancreatic diversion and most recently the Gastric Sleeve. The results have been different and unfortunately not reproducible in an equal percentage in the Hospital Centers, showing that the patients has 40% of different complications in a medium and long time, with variable weight loosing and rigorously ditched by exhaustive sport plans and diets. And the constant adjustable necessities have other problems. With all this information the patient must understand that the use of the Gastric Band doesn’t have all the solutions and is a helper of the obesity treatment, by the way, the case always aboard in a right form and the final answer depends on the patient expectative, his or her psychosocial profile and an adequate guide by the specialist team. However, we must remember that if we want to loose weight as we expect with excellent results, we need to change our food habits and do some exercise. |