Requirements
Gastric banding is never the first measure to treat obesity. Some people, however, cannot manage their weight in this way. Here there is the possibility of obesity surgery to intervene. An effective method is gastric banding.
- First a change of life with conscious healthy nutrition and sport.
- Drug therapies are also used to curb appetite or reduce the absorption of food components in the gastrointestinal tract.
Cost absorption of the gastric band
The health insurance company covers the costs of the operation in certain cases: The motivation of the patient to change his or her life with a healthier diet is of central importance in the gastric banding measure, as the operation leads to immense impairment of eating habits on the one hand, but on the other hand, non-cooperation by the patient leads to poor results.
- These are a BMI of > 40 or >35
- With accompanying diseases such as diabetes mellitus or increased blood pressure,
- Patient motivation and
- A normally high surgical risk
The gastric band is a minimally invasive procedure that is controlled by cameras that are inserted into the abdomen (laparoscopy) (so-called keyhole technique). The gastric band is placed around the middle part of the stomach to create a small fore stomach (pouch), which holds about 15 ml.
A controllable system is most frequently used: In this case, the gastric band itself is a silicone ring, the inside of which is connected to a tube, which in turn is connected to a port (an access through the breast to the stomach). This port is a small chamber that is placed under the skin and thus remains accessible. Through the port it is possible to control the tightness of the gastric band by adding or draining volume (fluid).
This means that the gastric band can always be reached from the outside and can subsequently be tightened or widened without surgery. The upper part now serves as the stomach and only holds a fraction of the actual stomach contents. This means that you feel fuller more quickly after meals and automatically eat less.
In some cases, the gastric band has to be adjusted once again, as the fore stomach (pouch) expands (pouching) and thus allows more filling. It can also come to an incision of the gastric band or the gastric band can slip (slippage). Since it is a foreign body, it can also lead to infections.
The port can also become infected, it can slip or tear off. In some cases (30-50%), these complications can lead to further surgery, namely the removal of the gastric band and another technique to reduce the size of the stomach (e.g. transformation into a tube stomach, see below). Another complication is that vomiting is more common, which can lead to tooth damage and aspiration (vomit gets into the lungs and can cause pneumonia).
- Gastric narrowing (restrictive) proceduresStomach reduction e.g. gastric banding
- Malabsorptive processes that result in less food being absorbed
The operation is a minimally invasive procedure, but as with all other operations there are of course certain risks for the patient. These are common risks like:
- Blood loss
- Accidental injury to other structures in the abdomen
- Infections
- Thrombosis
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Risks associated with extreme overweight (wound healing disorders, infections, cardiovascular complications, etc. )
- Anaesthesia risk is increased – difficult intubation is to be expected
