What Your Patient Can Expect
Pre-operative Care
The LAP-BAND® System surgeon's practice has a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals who care for your patient during the six to eight weeks prior to LAP-BAND® System surgery. Your patient will undergo nutritional, medical, and financial assessments to ensure that he or she is fully prepared for surgery and has secured insurance approval or financing to cover any out of pocket costs. The multidisciplinary team usually includes:
- Surgeons
- Nurses
- Physician's assistants
- Psychologists
- Dietitians or nutritionists
- Physiotherapist
- Billing and insurance manager
Surgical Care
Patients are generally admitted on the day of surgery and normally stay in the hospital for less than 24 hours. The actual procedure takes approximately one hour109 and is performed under general anesthesia (DFU). After surgery, tests are performed to confirm proper band placement and that there are no immediate complications. Once these tests are performed, the bariatric surgeon will release the patient.21
Post-operative Care
Consistent follow-up with the LAP-BAND® System is vital to successful weight loss outcomes. Patients who do not return for regular follow-up lose less weight, and should therefore be counseled as such.22
The bariatric practice will provide your patient with a comprehensive diet plan, to successfully transition the patient to new eating habits. These nutritional guidelines will assist your patient in getting the most nutritional value out of smaller portions. The bariatric practice will provide support immediately after surgery and through the continuum of care.
On-going follow-up is usually scheduled at six weeks after surgery. Adjustments will be made by the bariatric surgeon or by his or her trained staff after consulting with the patient on weight loss, eating habits, and expectations. As patients lose weight and greater restriction is needed to maintain satiety, the LAP-BAND® System will need to be adjusted by the addition and/or subtraction of saline as needed. A healthy rate of weight loss is approximately 1.5 - 2.0 lbs/week.
Overview of the Basic Post-Op Nutritional Guidelines:
| Post-operative Stage | Diet | Guidelines To provide your patient with dietary guidelines to follow after surgery, click here |
|---|---|---|
Early |
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< 14 days |
|
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< 4 weeks |
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|
Later |
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|
An upper gastrointestinal radiograph using water-soluble contrast is performed to exclude gastric perforation, improper positioning, and obstruction