Recently, the Gastric Band Institute performed the first several single incision gastric band procedures in Las Vegas.The procedure differs from the standard gastric band procedure in that instead of using 3-5 small incisions, a single larger incision is used to place the band.
Surgeons have been debating the merits of the single incision procedure for weight loss surgery and other surgeries like gallbladder surgery and appendectomy.However, the bottom line on single incision gastric band placement is that in selected lower BMI patients with smaller livers and thinner abdominal walls, it is a reasonable procedure with just a few more technical challenges than the standard 4-5 incision procedure.There does not appear to be any difference as far as pain or recovery between the two procedures, but which is cosmetically more appealing, 4-5 tiny incisions versus one larger more noticeable incision, is debatable.
We are pleased to be able to offer single incision gastric bands to some of our patients.Currently, technical equipment advances are being made that in the near future will increase the number of patients that can be offered this procedure.
A recent article in the NY Times reported a study citing that the incidence of kidney stones was twice as high in the obese population who had had gastric bypass than in the obese population who had not had weight loss surgery.Although not common, the incidence was about 8% after bypass compared to about 4%.
We have seen a few cases of kidney stones in our patients occur after gastric bypass, gastric band and gastric sleeve.Part of the increase incidence I believe is due to the fact that our post-op patients cannot drink water as fast or, “chug” it down, which may in part limit their fluid intake and be partly responsible for increased kidney stones.However, for many regular health reasons, we strongly encourage all our patients in the pre-op teaching classes to increase their water intake after surgery.If you have any questions about kidney stones that develop after weight loss surgery, please feel free to post them here.
Like I mentioned last Friday, we filmed a patient’s gastric band adjustment, or “fill” as we often call it, for those of you who want to see and understand how an adjustment is done.Below is a video of one of our patients, Ericka, with one of our physician assistants, Brian, undergoing a simple, five-minute fill.
We’ve also created a video of Brian demonstrating an adjustment on a model of a lap band and port for a more detailed explanation.If you have any more questions about gastric band adjustments, please post them here, or call the office at 702-384-8446.
Today we filmed a patient’s gastric band adjustment for those of you who have never seen an adjustment done and want to know how it works. You will soon be able to check it out here and at our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/LVGBIpatients. Stay tuned!
Have you seen the infomercial for the weight loss product Lipozyme?“Clinically proven at a major university” to help patients lose weight is their claim.Like ALL nonsurgical weight loss commercials there is tiny fine print on the screen.Usually it says “weight loss not typical” or “your individual results may vary” like it does for Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Dexatrim.
The Lipozyme ad says in fine print that the average weight loss was about 3 lbs.So, if your BMI is 40, or about 100lbs overweight, the average patient could lose about 3% of their excess body weight, hardly enough to have a dramatic improvement in health.After weight loss surgery, the average patient loses 50-75% of their excess body weight and the exceptional patient loses it all.If you are considering these types of products, remember to ALWAYS read the fine print.
If you have any experiences with using Lipozyme, or similar weight loss products, please feel free to share them with us.
Some of our patients have done impressive things like running marathons and jumping out of airplanes.One of our patients, Mr. Keith Bettinger, who has lost 75 lbs. since his surgery about 4-5 months ago, has written a light hearted book titled “Fighting Crime With ‘Some’ Day and Lenny.”I recently enjoyed reading this compilation of Keith’s humorous short stories which draw upon his experiences as a Suffolk County, New York police officer. Now retired from police work and living in Las Vegas, Keith has won awards for his short story writing skills. Personally knowing Keith has made reading his work so much more interesting because I can see in his writing the same wit, humor, and sarcasm he brings with him on his office visits.If you’d like a copy of the book, please contact Keith at keithbett@cox.net.
