January 27, 2011
Recent Concerns Expressed Over Lap-Band Marketing
The gastric banding device Lap-Band from Allergan has become a popular choice for obese patients who have decided to seek medical intervention for their weight problem. Allergan has recently sought FDA approval to expand the device’s use to patients with a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) which an FDA advisory panel granted.
Advertising by some medical practices that offer the surgery has come under fire recently with questions arising about the honesty of billboards and other campaigns. An article on LATimes.com states one concern is, “the high-powered marketing of Lap-Band surgery virtually as a cosmetic procedure.” The article goes on to state that there are significant risks associated with the surgery and that long term effects may carry risk for as much as 1/5th of the patients who have Lap-Band.
Some surgery centers who offer the procedure are firing back saying that Lap-Band is indeed safe. They do caution that it’s important for patients to fully understand their risk and seek out qualified physicians for the surgery, but say that when performed properly, Lap-Band is among the safest surgeries for weight loss.
“Bariatric surgery is different because they’re not just patients for a surgery. They’re patients for life,” says Dr. Ted Khalili of the Khalili Center for Bariatric Care in Beverly Hills. “The most successful patients follow up with us for life. They not only lose the weight, they keep the weight off.” They say that it’s important to recognize that weight loss surgery is only one part of the overall program a patient should adopt. There are nutrition classes and exercise programs needed to make sure a patient is not only successful, but safe as well.
They also say that at a bare minimum, your surgeon should be certified by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. A surgeon should also be able to provide you with the number of operations they have performed and their complication rates. Choose an academic surgeon that has participated in weight loss surgery related research. Ideally, you want a surgeon who is capable of doing more than just Lap-Band operations, but is capable of performing a wide variety complex laparoscopic abdominal operations.
