Podcast: A Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding For Obesity

Podcast: A Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding For Obesity
slp3D, Inc / OR-Live.com
1 min 24 sec - Feb 8, 2007

A laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure for obesity will be performed live over the Internet from Tampa General Hospital on March 6, 2007 at 4 p.m. ET. The LAP-BAND® System procedure involves placing an adjustable band around the connection between the food pipe and stomach to restrict the amount of food an individual can consume at one time. Since it is adjustable, the band can gradually be tightened by the physician during office visits, allowing individuals to use it as a tool to change their eating behaviors and lose weight. The procedure is intended to help patients reach a healthier weight in order to lead more mobile and active lives. Obesity is a chronic disease that affects more than 60 million Americans over the age of 20. It affects every organ system in the body and can cause major illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, acid reflux disease and degenerative joint disease. People who weigh twice their ideal body weight are candidates for weight loss surgery. Michel Murr, M.D., Director of Bariatric Surgery at Tampa General Hospital and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of South Florida College of Medicine will perform the procedure in which five small incisions are made in the abdomen to allow passage of a light, camera and surgical instruments. The abdomen is then inflated with air to allow a better view of the stomach and internal structures. The procedure is typically 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the patient's liver as it affects where instruments are placed as well as where the band is delivered.

slp3D, Inc / OR-Live.com