Houston UT MIST bariatric surgeon Erik B. Wilson MD discusses the relative advantages of LAP-BAND® surgery and encourages governments worldwide to make this low-risk, minimally invasive weight-loss procedure available and affordable to obese individuals. Doing so could help solve our global obesity epidemic. Within a short time, the money saved by not treating obesity-related diseases could more than offset the initial cost of this bariatric procedure.
LAP-BAND surgery, also known as gastric banding surgery, is a minimally invasive surgical approach to controlling obesity. Through small incisions in the abdomen, a surgeon positions a flexible, saline-filled band around the uppermost portion of the stomach, helping patients eat less and lose weight as a result. Since 1994, more than 750,000 LAP-BAND® procedures have been performed worldwide, enabling patients to lose 30 to 40 percent of their excess weight within only two years. When compared to other bariatric procedures, LAP-BAND® surgery offers excellent outcomes, a low risk profile, and one of the most affordable surgical alternatives available. So why aren’t more patients interested in pursuing this clinically proven weight-loss approach?
LAP-BAND® Cost
There are many possible reasons why more obese individuals do not actively pursue weight-loss surgery such as gastric banding to help them overcome obesity—even after they have closely followed a physician-supervised weight-loss program. One of the primary reasons is cost. According to Erik B. Wilson M.D., Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at Houston’s UT MIST Center for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, only certain health insurance plans cover LAP-BAND® surgery, so those who cannot afford to pay out of pocket continue to suffer, often developing comorbid conditions requiring medical intervention: arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, etc. He believes that our government and health insurance providers need to ask a key question: at what point is the return on investment worthwhile? One LAP-BAND® procedure today could prevent a host of obesity-related, costly comorbidities, essentially paying for itself in a matter of years.
Other countries are addressing the same kinds of questions. According to ABC News Australia, medical researchers at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research in Hobart, Tasmania, recognize the value of LAP-BAND® surgery. In fact, they are urging their government to offer taxpayer-funded LAP-BAND® surgery to morbidly obese citizens who cannot afford private insurance because the cost of obesity is putting a strain on their economy and endangering the lives of their citizens.
Bariatric Surgery Candidates
What else prevents obese individuals from seeking safe, low-risk weight-loss surgery? In the case of LAP-BAND, Houston residents often do not know that they are good candidates. Essentially, anyone with a BMI of 35 to 40 who has tried unsuccessfully to lose weight under physician supervision is a potential candidate for LAP-BAND® surgery. In fact, because of its low risk profile, more severely obese patients are candidates for LAP-BAND® surgery than for any other traditional bariatric surgery procedure.
In some cases, obese patients are not referred for bariatric surgery because their general practitioner may be unaware of the advances made in this surgical specialty over the past 50 years. Some physicians who have been practicing medicine for many years may associate weight-loss surgery with the first gastric bypass procedures of the 1960s, which had numerous complications.
Now, however, minimally invasive, laparoscopic alternatives such as LAP-BAND® surgery enable the procedure to be performed on an outpatient basis, and recovery time for LAP-BAND® surgery is much shorter than that of a standard operation. In addition, because no portion of the stomach or digestive tract is cut, and no large incisions are required in the abdomen, the pain and scarring from LAP-BAND® surgery are minimal. In addition, the LAP-BAND® device itself can be adjusted as needed to help a patient maintain steady weight loss, and it is also completely reversible.
Weight-Loss Surgery Fears
A third common deterrent to bariatric surgery is fear. Some patients are afraid of the commitment required to lose a significant percentage of their weight, and for these patients, UT MIST recommends a combined medical weight loss and bariatric surgery approach. These patients typically benefit from participating in a customized medical program that stresses intensive lifestyle modification (nutritional guidance, behavior modification, patient-centered physical activity, and pharmaceutical intervention, if needed) and helps them resolve psychological barriers to achieving their weight-loss goals.
Other patients fear the surgery itself. Because LAP-BAND® surgery has an impressive safety profile, the risks of having a major complication that leads to death are much lower than the risks of dying from obesity-related health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Finally, some patients fear that their weight loss will be only temporary. However, LAP-BAND® surgery requires regular maintenance visits with the surgeon every six to eight weeks. In addition to checking for any potential complications, the surgeon can adjust the LAP-BAND® to ensure that weight loss continues at a safe, steady pace. For those who need additional weight-loss support in addition to their LAP-BAND, Houston UT MIST offers a comprehensive medical weight-loss clinic, the Center for Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Performance (COMMP). For more information about LAP-BAND® surgery at the Houston UT MIST Center for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, visit the Houston UT MIST website.
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