The risks of Gastric band surgery

Just as there are benefits so there are risks as well. No surgical procedure is entirely safe and things can go wrong but this is a rarity. Before you make a decision about this procedure read through the following list of potential risks.

The risks are:

  • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
  • Pulmonary embolus (blood clots in the lungs).
  • Infection.
  • Bleeding.
  • Bad reaction to anaesthesia or prescribed medication.
  • Band slipping because the stomach pouch has stretched.
  • Problems with the tubing and/or the access port. This is very rare but cases of puncturing or breakage of the port have occurred.
  • Reflux. This is a condition in which the stomach contents are regurgitated back into the mouth.
  • Blockage of the stoma (stomach outlet).
  • Death. This is very uncommon and accounts for around 1 in 2000 cases.

This is a very successful procedure but unfortunately there are a few cases where this surgery does not work. This can be for a variety of reasons which include not following a healthy lifestyle, eating the wrong kinds of foods rather than a healthy diet, not exercising and failure to attend the aftercare sessions.

For this band to work you need to follow a sensible diet and take exercise as well. If you do so then weight will be lost and improvements to your health will happen. Sticking to the long term lifestyle programme as designed by your aftercare team will ensure that you get the most benefit from the band.

Gastric Band Surgery Guide sections

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