Band longevity?

[Paula622 0]

Hi all, I am excited to get banded, but have some concerns about the longevity of the bands? I am only 27 so hopefully "forever" is going to be a long time for me. I know the band is intended to remain in place forever, but it is still relatively new. Any ideas if this thing can really hold up to a lifetime of use?

[btrieger 21]

Hi all, I am excited to get banded, but have some concerns about the longevity of the bands? I am only 27 so hopefully "forever" is going to be a long time for me. I know the band is intended to remain in place forever, but it is still relatively new. Any ideas if this thing can really hold up to a lifetime of use?

This is a quote from the official Lap-Band site:

At this time, there are no known reasons to suggest that the band should be replaced or removed at some point unless a complication occurs or you do not lose weight. It is difficult, though, to say whether the band will stay in place for the rest of your life. It may need to be removed or replaced at some point. Removing the device requires a surgical procedure. That procedure will have all the related risks and possible complications that come with surgery. The risk of some complications, such as erosions and infection, increase with any added procedure.

Lapband.com - LAP-BAND® System Risk and Complications Information

[Jachut 487]

My clinic is run by Prof. Paul O'Brien, somewhat of a band pioneer. The advice I was given by my surgeon and which is also contained in the official literature they give out is that the band is supposed to be lifelong but that in all probability, some part of it will fail, most likely the balloon part that holds the saline. Silicone is inert in the body and wont rot, break down or cause any problems, but the balloon is to all intents and purposes a moveable part that will be tampered with, which increases the likelihood of it wearing out.

They dont say when that is likely to occur, because of course, people havent had these newer style bands for longer than 10 years. However I was told that at 37 when I was banded, I could realistically expect another surgery in my lifetime.

That doesnt particularly bother me. I didnt find it a difficult or time consuming surgery, and at least when something goes wrong with the band, its fixeable, your insides are as they were and if I were, say 70, I might not even bother having it replaced. However, as it stands now, our insurance system works such that there's no justifying or arguing whether the surgery is necessary. If the surgeon says it needs doing, then its done, end of story, and it will be at no cost to me. I might have stopped to think more if I could anticipate being in a position where I might need surgery but might have to pay lots of dollars out of pocket for it becuase insurance wont cover it.

Lets face it, when you're having what is a relatively new surgery, there ARE no long term statistics and you are taking a bit of a leap of faith.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Jachut