Adjustable Gastric Band (AGB)

As a day-surgery procedure, the minimally invasive AGB has a clear advantage over other procedures. The surgery is not open, the incisions are smaller, and recovery time is minimal. In fact, many patients go home the same day.  And the weight loss is very impressive.  As nearly as we know, we’re getting among the best results in the country!

An adjustable gastric band is placed “laparoscopically” with the use of small incisions, thin surgical instruments, and a small internal camera that monitors the operation. Placed around the upper part of the stomach, the band creates a small “upper” stomach without cutting or stapling. This smaller stomach allows the patient to feel full sooner and stay full longer. As a result, the patient no longer feels the need to eat as much and, thus, loses weight.

FDA-approved, the band is a silicone elastomer ring filled with saline (sterile water) which is connected by a tube to a small reservoir placed beneath the skin during surgery. By adding or removing saline from the reservoir via a special fine needle, the band can be adjusted to allow more or less food to pass between the two parts of the stomach. The doctor can fine-tune the opening to best fit a patient’s needs. The genius of the AGB is that it can be tightened if the patient is not losing enough weight, or loosened if there is too much weight loss.

Having an AGB procedure allows patients to alter their eating habits. Patients only need to eat very small meals, augmented with supplements, regular lab work and lifetime follow-up. By following these guidelines, experience has shown most AGB patients permanently lose the majority of their excess weight.

Please see our “Foxkins® Diamond Weight Management Program” section for our AGB follow-up protocol.  There is no other protocol like it in the U.S.  It is, as near as we can determine, the best program for long-term weight loss following the implantation of the AGB.

Please view our frequently asked questions (FAQ) section for answers to many questions.

Click here to learn about The Lap Band System in North American Population.