Gastric bypass doesn’t always produce the results it is intended to. If that’s the case for you, then you may be a candidate to undergo a proven revisional procedure, such as Band Over Bypass.
Results with this procedure are quite positive, particularly when you choose a renowned surgical team like the one exclusively available to you at the Tristate NYBG. Here, learn more about Lap Band Over Bypass, and why you can be confident in our team and bariatric program.
Band Over Bypass is a revisional bariatric surgery, performed for individuals who have previously had gastric bypass surgery. When the procedure fails, as explained in more detail below, a revisional procedure can improve long term weight loss success.
The actual procedure involves the placement of a Lap Band over the gastric bypass itself. The gastric pouch which was created in your initial procedure can therefore be tightened, and the passage of food through your intestinal track can be controlled. This is a procedure which has been proven to be effective for gastric bypass patients who had insufficient weight loss, or who regained weight previously lost.
How do you know if your gastric bypass surgery failed? There are several indicators, beginning with you losing less than 50% of your excess weight, or regaining the weight which you did originally lose. Additionally symptoms of failure could include diminishing quality of life, additional, new health issues or risks, or an intolerance to normal foods.
Before undergoing a revisional procedure, our surgical team will conduct a thorough consultation and evaluation with you to see if you’re an eligible candidate. If so, then it’s time to go ahead with revisional band over bypass, and success with weight loss like you always imagined.
Gastric bypass surgery is typically effective, although it could also fail for several main reasons, most commonly due to either a stretching of the stomach pouch, or stomach opening, or a failure to correctly size the stomach pouch initially. In all of the above, the surgeon is often the culprit in the surgery’s failure.
Gastric bypass requires a great level of experience in order to be performed perfectly, time and again, and surgeons near the beginnings of their careers or their work in this field may be unsuccessful. With hundreds of thousands of annual procedures being performed, it’s impossible to always find a true expert. Today, according to research and official estimates, about 6% of annual bariatric surgeries performed in the United States are revisional procedures.
Experience and expertise are not a concern for you though at the Tristate NYBG. Here, Dr. Garber has performed 3,500 gastric bypass surgeries and 3,200 lap band procedures, while Dr. Holover has performed 1,200 gastric bypass surgeries, and 1,800 lap band procedures. Both are well-versed and practiced in revisional surgery, and the rest of the expert surgical team at Tristate NYBG also carries great experience levels.
Patients will be placed under anesthesia during the procedure. Your surgeon You will be placed under anesthesia at the start of your procedure, at which point your surgeon will create five incisions in your stomach in order to insert the laparoscope, surgical tools, and the actual adjustable band, which is made from silicone. The band is placed atop of the stomach pouch created during your gastric bypass, and is connected to tubing and an access port to allow for adjustments.
The procedure takes an hour or less to perform, and does not require any overnight stays in the hospital.
Your new adjustable lap band tightens the gastric pouch and controls the passage of food, and therefore it works in a similar fashion to how an initial lap band would work. The difference of course is that it’s placed over your new stomach pouch.
Following your procedure, your lap band can be adjusted via the access port. Fluid can be injected in order to inflate, and tighten, the band, or can be removed to deflate, and loosen, the band.
All revisional procedures carry added risk of complication comparatively to an initial surgery. Additionally, Band Over Bypass has the same risks of all surgeries and all procedures involving anesthesia.
More specifically, the lap band carries a risk of infection on either the band or the access port. There’s also a risk of band slippage or erosion.
In the first two weeks following your procedure, you will stick to an all liquids diet. You can begin incorporating soft solid foods for the next two weeks after that, and then move through a third phase with the introduction of more regular foods.
Following the right nutritional plan and lifestyle over the long term is very important to your success. That’s why we provide a comprehensive bariatric program for our patients, including education, support groups, mentors, follow-up appointments, and our convenient online store, stocked with the tailor-made foods and drinks your body needs following bariatric surgery.
Receiving insurance coverage for a revisional procedure such as Band Over Bypass is not as easy as receiving coverage for your initial procedure. The good news is that many providers do cover revisional bariatric surgery, as long as their specific guidelines have been met. We know this can be a complicated and daunting process, which is why we’ll provide you with assistance, and in the event you do not receive coverage, with several financing options.
A failed gastric bypass isn’t the end of your weight loss journey. For many, it’s only the beginning for a life-time of great weight loss success and improved health.
Call the Tristate NYBG at 800.633.8446 to see if you’re a candidate and to schedule your evaluation for Band Over Bypass surgery in Pennsylvania.
If you are ready to lose weight, you have many options at our Tristate Bariatric Group. We combine surgical expertise, patience, compassion, and the confidence to lead you through the journey to successful weight loss.
