Band Erosions - Dr. Lopez

[DeLarla 22]

I met with Dr. Lopez this month and asked him why he has so many recent erosions. He didn't lie or dance around the issue, he was honest and simply doesn't know the answer. I'm under the impression that Inamed was on his tail about all his erosions because they questioned his technique. He explained to Inamed that his technique hasn't changed. Lopez asked Inamed how many erosions he had the previous year - they said, "zero."

I asked Lopez if perhaps there was a bad batch of bands. His eyebrows raised and his shoulders lifted as if he wanted to say it was a possiblity, but all he could say was he doesn't know. I read his body movement and facial expressions as we talked, and he seems genuinely concerned and perplexed. He didn't take the erosions lightly.

I also learned that Dr. Fisher (here in Vegas) just had his first erosion (he's a relatively new band surgeon.) I don't know if the time period matches with any of Lopez's erosions though.

Meanwhile, I also asked Inamed about Lopez's erosions. They told me that Lopez does more surgeries than all the other doctors, so he will naturally have more erosions, but at the same time, not everybody is reporting erosions. They also told me that while Lopez is in the "hot seat" right now, that not long ago, another very popular Mexican surgeon was in the hot seat while Lopez was glowing. They said doctors go through phases where everyone seems to be complaining. I'm not defending Inamed or Lopez, I'm just passing along info cause I found it interesting that Lopez didn't have one single erosion last year. Just makes me wonder if a bad batch is possible and how many people might have erosion that don't know it yet.

[DeLarla 22]

I know that Dr. Lopez uses Inamed bands, but I have heard rumors that certain doctors use different bands and claim they are Inamed. But how can we be sure that all Inamed bands are fault-free? Is it possible that Inamed could have made a bad batch?

[banded 11/4/04 0]

how can you tell your band is inamed or swedish or some other type?

[DeLarla 22]

Your doctor will tell you what Band you have. I could be wrong, but I think any band doctor can tell under x-ray... anybody know the answer? Is there a serial number on the Band or something?

[Vera 7]

I don't think you can tell, tell you what Band you have under x-ray. I have a film/print of my latest flouro/x-ray, you can see the the band as a white stripe as well as the barium sitting above it and trickling into the stomach.

I have documentation with my serial number, but I don't know if it's marked on the band. (SAGB)

Good Question, :banana Call Don Mills and ask him President Lisa.

[La_madam 20]

When you get an Inamed band from your doctor you will recieve the box that it came in with theserial number on it and alos the Inamed card and the Inamed weight tracking card...thi is why it is important to ask for the serial number of the band so Inamed can track these bands to see if it could possibly be a bad batch.

[leatha_g 4]

Every implant used on a patient (in the US) must be associated with a serial number for tracking purposes. Being in the medical supply field, I would assume that goes with a 'lot' number also. So, in essence, you 'bad batch' theory could be true. I am sure if all problems were reported and tracked back to serial numbers and lot numbers, Inamed would certainly see the connection pretty quickly if it were truly a batch problem. If this were found to be true in enough cases, they would also be required to do a recall on this product/lot number and closely follow those patients who already had this 'lot' implanted.

In Mexico or other countries, they would still have this information, but whether they have to document it is something I'm not sure of.

[La_madam 20]

I agree with you Lisa but if the Dr.'s are not giving out the serial numbers to their patients then there is no way to track them

[leatha_g 4]

When you get an Inamed band from your doctor you will recieve the box that it came in with theserial number on it and alos the Inamed card and the Inamed weight tracking card...

Unfortunately, not all docs give this stuff out. I had to ask for the Patient Handbook the day I was discharged and they acted as if they had no idea what I was talking about. I have never seen the serial# associated with my bands - either one of them, but for those going forward, it might not be a bad thing to ask for. The only card I got was the one with the xray on the back identifying me as a gastric band patient.

These docs get complacent, sometimes. They think they are only dealing with people who aren't intelligent enough to know or care about these things, so they throw them to the side and hope it never becomes an issue.

My original doc was in the FDA trials. You'd have thought he'd of had a leg up on some of this info, instead, he was too busy collecting his $200(or would that be $20K?) as he passed GO on his way to his Bermuda vacation.

[HarleyNana 10]

Michelle, I got my card today, my doctor said he wanted me to have on, keep one at his office in my records and one at the hospital. Though he doesn't have the number on there yet, he has requested the information and will make sure it is all documented by my next fill. Wow what timing.

It's called the "Lap-band system post-op patient packet"

I even got a registration card with a free gift, either a pedometer with clock and stop watch, or a portable radio with clock and stop watch, once I complete the card and mail it back to Inamed Health.

[DeLarla 22]

From now on when people post, "What should I bring to Surgery," we have to remind them to ask for the serial number. I didn't get the box, but my surgeon gave me an Inamed card that shows the size of my Band. When my port went sour, Inamed called my surgeon, but they were not sucessful in obtaining my serial number from his office. Just the fact that they wanted the serial number probably says they'd go back and check the lot/batch. Many gold stars to you, Leatha - great reply.

[SHAZ 0]

What is erotion of the band and how would one know if it happens.

[Alexandra 55]

Hi Shaz,

Erosion is a process whereby the band sort of wears away the stomach tissue beneath it, creating ulcers or holes in the stomach walls. This is a serious condition and as far as I know, always means the band has to come out. It is RARE, though, and I don't know of any clear-cut symptoms that indicate it's happening. Some people have loss of restriction, some people have a change in restriction, some people have pain, some people have nothing at all.

Because there's no ONE way it happens, there's no ONE way to prevent it. I personally think the most likely cause is surgical error (or accident) in which the stomach wall is slightly nicked when the band is being installed. Another theory is defective bands, wherein the inner wall of the band is not perfectly smooth. But these are just guesses.

The risk of erosion is just one reason to keep a close eye on your band and have AT LEAST annual checkups by x-ray. But remember that the rate of erosion is still only 1-3% so the chances it will happen to any particular person are very low.

[Mita 2]

My Doc gave us the card above before my surgery. I never really looked at it thanks for the info now I actually know what it is..

[DeLarla 22]

My friend, who just had her band removed due to erosion, said she was throwing up and PB-ing a lot but had no other symptoms. She didn't even know she had erosion. She went for a normal fill, and her doc saw that the barium wasn't flowing correcty. They can often see early signs of erosion during the flouroscopy, which is something you won't see while getting a "blind" fill.

Other implants can erode as well. I know someone who had surgical screws in her ankle that eroded. Kind of like leaving a knife in the sink too long, where the rust starts to erode and ruins the sink. That's the way I kinda see it.