Converting a lap band to a sleeve or a bypass procedure
The advantages of conversion to Gastric Sleeve (or Gastric Bypass) include:
- Better Quality of Life: It is very rare to have nausea or vomiting after gastric sleeve surgery. Patients also feel less hungry after gastric sleeve surgery and many patients lose their hunger sensation.
- Significant Weight Loss Difference: In the long term, patients have much greater weight loss with gastric sleeve than with Lap band.
- Low Complication Rate: The long-term complication rate of the gastric sleeve is extremely low, while more than half of Lap Band Surgery patients need to have their gastric band removed at some time point.
Indications for Lap band removal:
- Inadequate Weight Loss or Weight Regain
- Band Intolerance
- Band Infection
- Band Slippage
- Severe Heartburn
- Oesophageal Dysmotility
