Recent Developments for Surgical Weight Loss
Patients with 30 or Greater BMI now Qualify for Lap-Band Procedure
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the expanded use of the LAP-BAND® System (the gastric band used at EIRMC’s New U Surgical Weight Loss Center) for adults with a Body Mass Index of 30-40, who have at least one obesity-related comorbid condition, and who have failed more conservative weight reduction alternatives, such as diet and exercise.
This adds to the previous approval for patients with a 35 or higher BMI with one comorbid condition, or patients with a BMI higher than 40.
Patients pursuing surgical weight loss at New U must have a history of failing other weight loss alternatives. Lap banding is another tool, alongside diet, exercise, and behavior modification, that New U employs to help patients lose weight, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and even mitigate medical conditions related to obesity.
New Research: Lap-Band Procedure Pays for Itself in 2 years
A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases found the cost of a gastric banding weight-loss surgery procedure, like the Lap-Band Procedure done at New U, was offset by reductions in obesity-related medical costs within 2.25 years for surgery eligible patients with diabetes, and within four years of the procedure for all surgery eligible patients. These findings underscore the critical effect gastric banding has on containing healthcare costs among the target population.
Dr. David Chamberlain, General & Bariatric Surgeon, explains, “This study is important, but to me, even more important than monetary gain is life longevity and quality of life. I see patients all the time who say they’ve never gone swimming with their kids, or skiing with their family. Now, they can do activities with their families, and that is a value worth a lot to them.
The study evaluated healthcare claims from 7,310 patients who had undergone gastric banding compared to claims from a matched control group of surgery-eligible obese individuals who did not have weight-loss surgery. The study found that while post-surgery medical costs for the gastric banding group declined slightly, medical costs for the control group continued to rise, thus resulting in significant savings for the banding sample.
