LAP-BAND Procedure Shows Significant Benefits
SAN FRANCISCO — LAP-BAND® System is less invasive and less risky than laparoscopic gastric bypass, according to a five-year study comparing the two most common weight-loss surgery procedures for the seriously overweight. The results were presented at the American Society for Bariatric Surgery meeting by Emma Patterson, M.D., the senior investigator of the study and director of Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, Portland, Ore.
"This was one of the first comparative studies of LAP-BAND and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients conducted by a single institution," said Dr. Patterson. "It is significant to note that at the five-year mark there is no difference in the weight loss results between the LAP-BAND and laparoscopic gastric bypass patients, yet the gastric bypass has a much greater risk of operative complications." The study is an extension of a three-year study conducted by Legacy Health System published two years ago.
The study concludes:
- LAP-BAND patients have shorter operative time, less blood loss and shorter hospital stays compared with laparoscopic gastric bypass patients
- LAP-BAND is less invasive with less perioperative risk to the patient
- LAP-BAND patients have decreased complication rates.
Additional results of the study indicate that patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass had statistically significant greater weight loss up to four years, but at five years, there was no statistical difference in percent excess weight loss between laparoscopic gastric bypass and LAP-BAND.
The study concluded that laparoscopic gastric bypass patients had significantly more major complications than LAP-BAND patients (10 percent vs. 5 percent, respectively). This observation was substantially different from the findings in the three-year report, where no significant difference in major complications appeared between laparoscopic gastric bypass and LAP-BAND patients.
"With the LAP-BAND System, there is now a safer, less invasive and more acceptable surgical option for patients suffering from the emotional and physical impact of being seriously overweight," added Dr. Patterson.
The study compared a consecutive series of patients who underwent LAP-BAND (406) and LRYGB (492) for morbid obesity over a five-year period in a single institution. Most patients were able to choose between the LAP-BAND and laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures unless they were determined to be high risk. All patients' age, sex, BMI, complications, mortality and excess weight loss (EWL) were examined.
Source: Oregon Weight Loss Surgery
This article originally appeared in the July 2006 issue of HME Business.