New Lap-Band Bariatric Surgery In San Francisco

More and more overweight people are turning to surgical options to assist with their weight loss efforts. As the obesity problem in the United States and other Westernized countries continues to grow, many people are finding that traditional diets don’t work for them, and turn to surgeons for help.

Lap Banding Choices

At Laparoscopic Associates of San Francisco (LapSF) the doctors are leaders in bariatric surgery. They have recently begun offering the REALIZE™ band to their patients. The REALIZE™ band is similar to the Lap-Band which has been available for several years. The new REALIZE™ band may help reduce the incidence of painful swallowing, food impactions and port related complications which can occur in people who have used older Lap-Banding methods.

The REALZE™ band is a device which is surgically implanted, and is made of a silicone band, plus tubing and an injection port. It has proven extremely beneficial for patients who are obese (with a Body Mass Index [BMI] over 30) and who haven’t been able to lose weight through non-surgical methods.

Fellowship trained surgeon Dr. Cirangle is one of the first bariatric surgeons in the US to offer the new REALIZE™ band, which is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. He is also experienced in using the traditional lap-band. His own experience with his patients has suggested that the new REALIZE™ band has less side effects than other lap-bands.

Results of Lap-Band Surgery

Results of traditional lap-band surgery are extremely positive, and result in long term success for morbidly obese patients. The average patient is able to drop between 50 and 60% of their excess body weight, and is able to keep the weight off years later (which is extremely hard to achieve through traditional dieting).

The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently reported that there are numerous other health benefits of undergoing weight loss surgery, including the cure of type II diabetes in a high percentage of patients, with blood sugar levels normalizing within months of the surgery. High blood pressure (hypertension) is also cured in the majority of patients (most patients can reduce or even eliminate their blood pressure medication). High cholesterol is improved in the majority of patients, as is sleep apnea. The overall risk of death decreases substantially in almost everyone who undergoes lap-band surgery.

Other Types of Bariatric Surgery Offered In LapSF Clinic

While lap-band surgery is becoming increasingly popular, the LapSF clinic also offers more traditional forms of bariatric surgery, including gastric bypass surgery, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, Stomaphyx and the duodenal switch. The benefits of lap-band and REALIZE™ surgery are that the bands are removable and therefore the surgery doesn’t result in a permanent change to the digestive tract. Also, the recovery rate is a great deal quicker.

For obese patients who have struggled to lose weight using traditional diet and exercise, lap band surgery using either traditional lap-bands or the new REALIZE™ bands offers a permanent weight loss solution, without requiring more drastic gastric bypass or stomach stapling surgery. The health of patients increases dramatically as their weight drops, and they are able to maintain their weight loss over the long term.