Gastric bands have been in use in Europe since the early 1990s. That begs the question “Where’s the data on the long term safety and effectiveness of these devices?” Well, a study called Long-term Outcomes of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding has been published in the Archives of Surgery, (Himpens et al., Arch Surg.2011; 0: 2011451-6.) based on that long term European data.
About 60 percent of the 82 patients with the device, Allergan Inc.’s Lap-Band, followed over 12 years or more needed additional operations, according to a study by Belgian researchers published online today by the Archives of Surgery. The minimally invasive surgery led to weight loss of 18 percent in 70 patients where data was available… Twenty-three patients, or 1 in 3 who responded to the survey, experienced band erosion, diagnosed after a median of four years, the study found. Almost 50 percent of the patients lost their bands within nine years.
Study: 60% re-operation rate with Gastric Bands | Big Fat Blog: