Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery

Adjustable gastric banding essentially is an operative procedure meant for the obese persons. Such people are directed to undertake a surgery if their body mass indices (BMI) of 35 or greater. Though the concept of 'obesity' is less often related to children, this procedure is undertaken more commonly for children as young as 11.

Duration and Procedure

This procedure normally doesn't last for more than an hour, and this is more often done as a minimally invasive surgery (MIS) which is best known as Laparoscopic surgery, not to mention that it is done under anesthesia.

• The procedure commences with the insertion of a band that is made of plastic around the abdomen.
• The abdominal wall is then engrafted with a little box to which the band around the abdomen is connected.
• The box is then filled with blood serum thereby which the band is constringed. This process can be done with the help of a transdermic needle.
• The whole idea of having the box filled and making the band constringed is that this eventually retards the food intake by the patient.

Side Effects
It is important to note that the this surgery is risk-prone, since on every 100 surgeries, 15 of them prove to be a failure. Like most other medical treatments, the surgery does have some side effects that include:

Gastric Perforation
Though this side effect has remote chances of occurrence, this can prove to be fatal for an infant during the first month after birth if the mother acquires this side effect after surgery.

Intra-gastric Migration
Intra-gastric migration is a possible ramification of adjustable gastric banding. This results in localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue in the anterior walls of the abdomen.

Implant Infection
This is comparatively a common side effect as compared to gastric perforation and intra-gastric migration. There are chances that the abdominal wall might get infected while the small box is implanted on it. However, there are effective steps taken now to make sure that the abdominal wall is less prone to such infection.

The benefits
Some of the benefits of this surgery as compared to other surgeries include

• Quick convalescence
• No visible scars in the abdomen
• Remote chances of inverse absorption
• Not to mention the short stay in the infirmary

Diet for the patients
A patient who has just undergone an operation is advised to avoid the following food stuff:

• Citrus fruits are to be eaten only upon the removal of the membranes. Such fruits include grapes, lemon and oranges.
• The patient is to avoid having meat, which is cut from the fleshy part of the animal because they may find it difficult to digest such tough meats. This includes chops of pork as well. Additionally, it will be better for the patient if he follows a vegetarian diet.
• The patient must prefer unseeded dates to seeded dates. In general, he is to avoid all kinds of seeds of fruits.
• Food stuff that are zesty and other savories are to be avoided by the patient.
• Onion, white pepper, garlic and cinnamon are commonly used spices that must be used less frequently.

These foodstuffs if given, might be unbearable for the patients. In certain cases, even milk might prove to be intolerable. In such cases, patients are advised to have foodstuffs that are rich in protein such as butter and cheese, and to add dry milk to foodstuffs as protein supply is essential.

Even though there are a few side effects colligated with adjustable gastric banding surgery, the potential benefits of the surgery clearly overshadow the negative consequences.