Obese Britain Summer 2015.pdf

Weight loss surgery, or bariatric
surgery to give it the official
medical term, is one solution that
can reverse the risk of weight-related
diseases and give severely obese people –
those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40
or greater or between 35 and 40 in cases
of patients with certain medical conditions
– a new lease of life and much improved
health.
A gastric band is a soft and adjustable
silicone band that is placed around the
upper part of your stomach and closed or
locked to create two chambers; a small
upper stomach with a narrow opening
to the lower stomach. This causes food
passage restriction.
On the inside of the band, is a balloon.
The balloon is connected by a thin tube to
an access point that sits below the skin
on your abdominal wall called a port site.
Through this port a clinician can make
periodic adjustments to your gastric band,
based on your weight loss, food cravings
and other physical reactions to the surgery,
by inflating or deflating the inner balloon
with saline (often called a “fill ‘). As the
band is inflated your upper stomach outlet
becomes smaller and this helps reduce
the amount of food you eat and slows the
emptying of food into the lower stomach.
Am I eligible for gastric banding?
You will usually have gastric banding if
you cannot lose a large amount of weight
and maintain the weight loss long term by
dieting and lifestyle changes alone; or if
you have serious health problems caused
by obesity.
Doctors often use the body mass index
(BMI) to determine your eligibility. This
procedure may be recommended for you
if you have a BMI of 40 or more, or if your
BMI is 35 or more and you have a serious
health condition that might improve
with weight loss. Some of these serious
health conditions are sleep apnoea, type
2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart
disease.
Your bariatric surgeon will discuss the
best option of weight loss with you and if
you are eligible for gastric banding.
Photograph: iStock
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