Follow Up & Aftercare

Because the LAP-BAND^® System is typically placed laparoscopically, patients are usually able to return home the day after surgery and resume their normal activities within about a week.

The LAP-BAND^® System requires ongoing patient monitoring and support. This is because the LAP-BAND^® System depends not only on limiting the patient's food intake, reducing their appetite and slowing digestion, but also on their motivation and commitment to a new lifestyle, and eating habits. In order for patients to lose weight safely and effectively, the band must be optimally adjusted to limit food intake and to create a feeling of satiety, yet not so tight that patients experience difficulty swallowing or regurgitation. Patients typically visit their surgeon 6 weeks after surgery to have the LAP-BAND^® System adjusted for the first time.

Subsequent visits, which may vary for each individual, can continue every 6 weeks during which the stoma size can be adjusted by injecting or removing saline through an access port. Subsequent visits may vary for each patient. The preformed circular shape of the LAP-BAND^® System allows for controlled, even inflation and deflation to increase or decrease restriction. Adjustments are typically made for at least one year so healthy, continuous weight loss can be optimized. Adjustments may still be required several years post-operatively, and long-term follow-up is the key to success.

A well-adjusted LAP-BAND^® System means:

• Safety and patient comfort
• Healthy weight loss–approximately 1.5-2.0 lbs per week
• Satiety–no hunger between meals