LAP-BAND® System Advantage

Approved by the FDA in June 2001, LAP-BAND System is the safest, least invasive and only adjustable surgical treatment for morbid obesity in the United States. It induces weight loss by reducing the capacity of the stomach, which restricts the amount of food that can be consumed. Since its clinical introduction in 1993, almost 150,000 LAP-BAND procedures have been performed around the world and over 30,000 in the U.S. alone.

Minimal Trauma

• Least invasive surgical option
• No intestinal re-routing
• No cutting or stapling of the stomach wall or bowel
• Reduced patient pain, hospital length-of-stay and recovery period

Fewer Risks and Side Effects

• Significantly lower mortality risk than with other obesity surgeries 1
• Low risk of nutritional deficiencies associated with gastric bypass
• Reduced risk of hair loss
• No “dumping syndrome” related to dietary intake restrictions

Adjustable

• Allows individualized degree of restriction for ideal, long-term weight loss
  
  
  
  
• Adjustments performed without additional surgery
• Supports pregnancy by allowing stomach outlet size to be opened for increased nutritional needs

Reversible

• Removable at any time
• Stomach and other anatomy are generally restored to their original forms and functions

Effective Long-Term Weight Loss

• Almost 150,000 cases performed worldwide
• Standard of care for hundreds of practices around the world
• Academic publications with up to 8 years of follow-up

1 Executive summary: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for the treatment of obesity (Update and Re-appraisal). The Australian Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures – Surgical (ASERNIPS) 2002; 1. (Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery, like the LAP-BAND surgery, is associate with a mean short-term mortality rate of around 0.05% compared to 0.50% for Gastric Bypass and 0.31% for Vertical Banded Gastroplasty.)