Lap band VS Gastric Bypass Surgery

LAP-BAND VS. GASTRIC BYPASS: WHICH IS BETTER?
Many obese people have started turning to weight loss reduction surgery, but which type of surgery is better? When it comes to considering gastric bypass verses lap band, each individual patient must consider the risk and reward associated with each type of procedure. In the debate between adjustable gastric banding vs gastric bypass, like with all surgeries, each potential patient must consider his or her personal feelings along with the medical benefits and possible complications with each type of operation. Also, remember that results are not guaranteed with their type of operation.

First, let's look at lapband vs. gastric bypass in terms of the risks involved. The mortality rate for gastric bypass is estimated to be as high as 1%, while the Lap-Band procedure is supposedly far safer, with a death rate estimated to be 3 in 10,000 or less -- allegedly less than that associated with far more routine surgeries, such as gallbladder operations or hernia repair. Further, there is just a one in 200 chance of infection with lap-band surgery, much less than that of gastric bypass. In both procedures, hemorrhaging, vomiting, nausea and restriction failure (either band or staple slippage) is possible.

Additionally, when examining lap band vs gastric bypass, it seems that the latter holds many additional and different types of health problems. In gastric bypass, the bowels can become blocked, and the contents of this area have been known to leak back into the abdomen. It can also result in pulmonary embolism, the formations of abscesses, ulcers, unplanned pregnancy, temporary hair loss, food intolerance and nutritional deficiencies. While it certainly seems that these are possible, perhaps even likely, with the lap-band procedure, such occurrences have been reported quite infrequently.

Of course, the gastric bypass vs lap band does not merely end with the comparison of risks. One must also look at the advantages of each of the two types of weight loss surgery. Gastric bypass surgery can lead to the resolution of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, breathing difficulties, sleep apnea, reflux disease, incontinence and lower back pain. Lap band surgery, on the other hand, is the only type of weight reduction surgery that can be adjusted and/or reversed. Adjusting the band can help decrease stomach size over a period of time and spur on weight maintenance, while the fact that the surgery is reversible is handy if a patient decides that he or she no longer wants it or if medical complications arise.