Study Shows Lap-Band Procedure as Safest Bariatric Surgery

A recent study published in the Annals of Surgery showed that the Lap-Band procedure was the safest bariatric surgery of the three surgeries used in the study. The study results were reported in Medscape News.

The main focus of the research was to determine which bariatric surgeries were the most effective in treating diabetes. As such, they followed over 170 patients for one year. These morbidly obese diabetics received gastric bypass, a duodenal switch, the Lap-Band procedure, or served as non-surgical controls.

University of Minnesota Study Shows Lowest Readmission Rate for Lap-Band Surgery

The study found that gastric bypass was the most effective at treating obesity within the context of diabetes. In the words of lead study author Dr. Robert B. Dorman, “The RYGB (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) should remain the gold standard for treatment of severe or greater obesity in the setting of type 2 diabetes.”

However, in two key areas, the Lap-Band procedure was shown to be better than both gastric bypass and the duodenal switch. The rate of complications and readmission in the first year were both best with the Lap-Band procedure.

The duodenal switch was found to be excellent for patients with extremely high levels of obesity, but was determined to be not as practical for patients with obesity of a less extreme nature.

“The duodenal switch demonstrates superior long-term results related to weight loss. Therefore, the duodenal switch procedure should be offered to patients with a BMI > 50 kg/m2 if both the surgeon and the center are experienced in performing it,” said Dr. Dorman.

As with any surgical procedure, choosing the most highly trained surgeon to perform your surgery was determined to be crucial to the effectiveness and safety of the outcome.

(Editor’s Note: As this article is a Medscape journal article, it may not be accessible through the above link without a Medscape account.)