| Getting an Adjustable Gastric Band Procedure
Adjustable gastric banding is a bariatric procedure in which the stomach is reduced into a small pouch with the aid of an inflatable band to restrict food intake. However, you need to pass an evaluation to find out if you are a candidate for an Adjustable gastric band surgery, since this operation is intended to reduce obesity and not just a few pounds for cosmetic reasons.
Candidates eligible for Adjustable Gastric Band surgery must meet the following pre-requisites:
- Candidates must be at least 18 years old.
- Candidates must have been overweight for more than 5 years.
- Candidates must demonstrate their medically certified attempts to lose weight
- Candidates must not suffer from other medical conditions that caused actual obesity
- Candidates must have a weight twice the ideal weight or at least 100 pounds over the normal weight in men and 80 in women.
- Candidates are prepared to make changes in habits and lifestyle
- Candidates are engaged to continue a close relationship with the medical staff, adhering to follow-up guidelines
- Candidates must not drink alcohol in excess.
- Candidates have not any drug addiction.
Adjustable gastric band surgery offers the benefits of one of the less invasive bariatric surgical procedure, that does not cut off or rerouting your intestines. The procedure lowers your consumption of calories and the risks of developing complications and co-mobility's, while the low risk of nutritional deficiencies can be easily to face by including nutritional supplements in your diet.
In general terms, Adjustable Gastric band allows you to keep good weight maintenance over time, digestibility and reversibility is possible at any stage after surgery. Even then, this procedure has the lowest mortality rate of all bariatric operations. Lap Band complications may affect nearly 10 to 15% of all patients.
However, patients who undergo adjustable gastric band procedures experience slower weight loss than others who have gastric bypass. It is estimated that you will lose 38% of your excess body weight within the first 2 years after this surgery, and the remainder up to 5 years keeping the follow-up sessions.
The cost of Adjustable Gastric Band surgery is usually not covered by health insurance hence, the cost has different ranges. As an example, in Mexico and Brazil the procedure cost $12,000 USD on average, in some European Countries the cost fluctuates from $12,000 to $16,000 USD, and in the United States the average cost is between $18,000 and $30,000 USD.
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