Mark A Fusco, MD. Health First Lifeshape Weight Loss Program.
INTRODUCTION – The Pleated Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band, (Pleated Band) is an operative modification that combines the placement of a standard band with a gastric plication below the band. We examine our initial experience with this new technique at our ACS accredited outpatient center.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES – Our prospectively collected patient database was retrospectively queried. We studied all patients performed at our freestanding outpatient surgery center. Short term (30 day) complications were evaluated.
RESULTS – Over a two-year period 259 patients underwent outpatient Laparoscopic Adjustable gastric band surgery. All were discharged the same day. Seventy-seven patients underwent pleated band, and 183 had Lap-band only. There were no deaths or major complications in either group. There were three patients who required postoperative IV fluids for dehydration (two in the pleated group, one in the non-pleated group.) One patient in the pleated group suffered from significant persistent nausea that required upper endoscopy for evaluation.
CONCLUSION – The Pleated Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band is a procedure that can effectively and safely be preformed at a free standing outpatient surgery center.