Adjustable gastric band
A adjustable laparoscopic gastric band is an silicone device that is inflatable and is laparoscopically surgically located around the upper portion of the stomach, as a means to reduce obesity. Adjustable gastric band surgery is one form of bariatric surgery which is designed primarily for obese patients whose body mass index (BMI) is 40 or greater or between 35 and 40 in cases of patients who have certain comorbidities which are known to improve with weight loss, such as metabolic syndrome, Hypertension (high blood pressure) GERD, osteoarthritis, diabetes, sleep apnea, or metabolic syndrome, among others.
The development of the modern adjustable gastric band is directly attributable to both to the sustained collaborative effort on the part of scientists, surgeons, and bio engineers and the persistence and vision of the early pioneers, like Lubomyr Kuzmak. Early on the research on the concept of band “adjustability” can be traced to the early work of G. Szinicz, from Austria, who, early on experimented on animals with an adjustable band, connected to a subcutaneous port. In 1986, a Ukrainian surgeon, Lubomyr Kuzmak, who had emigrated to the United States in 1965, reported on the clinical use of the Adjustable Silicone Gastric Band” (ASGB) via open surgery. Kuzmak, who from the early 1980s had been searching for a simple and safe restrictive procedure for severe obesity. He took his silicone, non adjustable, original band he had been using since 1983 and modified it by adding an adjustable portion. His clinical results demonstrated reduced complication rates and improved weight loss compared with the non adjustable band he had started using in 1983. Kuzmak's major contributions resulted from the application of Mason’s lessons about VBG relative to the development of the gastric band, the volume of the pouch, the need to defeat staple line disruption and, the verification of the use of silicone as the essential element of adjustability.
The first stomach band is known as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB) and was produced in Sweden, in 1985, by Obtech Medical of Sweden. Then Inamed Health, a U.S. company, designed the BioEnterics ® LAP-BAND ® Adjustable Gastric Banding System. In 1993 this gastric banding system was first introduced in Europe. Neither of these stomach bands, when first manufactured, were initially designed for use with laparoscopic keyhole surgery. Then in 2000, a low pressure, wider, one piece gastric band called MIDband ® was produced in France. This stomach band was designed specifically and primarily to be laparoscopically inserted. MIDband ® has since become known as one of the leading bands in France. Currently, adjustable banding systems are produced by eight manufacturers. Laparoscopic gastric banding is the second most common weight loss surgery, after gastric bypass. Gastric banding is also considered the least invasive weight loss surgery. It is also the safest. The procedure can be reversed if necessary, and in time, the stomach generally returns to its normal size. Gastric banding does not interfere with food absorption, unlike gastric bypass surgery. As a result, vitamin deficiencies are rare after gastric banding.
