What's Going To Happen While Having Your Lap Band Surgery

When you get to the operating room for your lap band procedure, the nurse will have you transfer onto the operating room bed. The anesthesiologist or CRNA will then begin placing sensors on you, plus the circulating registered nurse might be placing SCD's onto your legs or feet. After all monitors are placed, the anesthesiologist or CRNA will start having you breath oxygen using an oxygen mask. Soon after, you are going to start to get medication through your IV to make you unconscious. You're going to be receiving general anesthesia for this procedure. This means you will need to have a breathing tube put in. Once the medication has taken effect and you are unconscious, the anesthesiologist or CRNA will place the breathing tube. After the breathing tube is secure, you will be positioned and prepped for surgery. If you are a male, your abdomen will probably be shaved. You may have a catheter placed into your bladder to empty urine. The circulating nurse should then "prep" your abdominal area with betadine or some other antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleaning solution.



Once your abdomen is prepped with the skin cleanser, the surgical team will begin to place sterile drapes over you. You will be covered completely with these sterile drapes except for the area in which they will be making the incisions. After all the drapes are on, and all the equipment the surgeon will be using is hooked up and ready to go, the lap band procedure will begin.



The surgeon will start by making various small cuts in your abdomen. These incisions will be used to put the laparoscope and laparoscopic instruments through. Co2 gas is pumped within in order to inflate your abdomen; this is done so it will be much easier for the surgeon to see. The surgeon uses the laparoscope to see within your abdomen without needing to make a major incision and open your belly. The surgeon will be viewing a monitor which the video coming from the laparoscope will be sent to through the lap band procedure.



A special adjustable round band will be inserted through one of the small incision sites, and carefully placed around the top part of your stomach using the laparoscopic tools. Once the band has been placed in the correct position, it will be fastened in place. An access port which is connected to the band with special tubing is then placed in the abdominal wall. This access port is placed to where it can be later used to adjust the band. By using a special needle and syringe to add or remove saline, the band will become tighter or looser. After the band and port are secured, the incisions are closed with either staples or suture.



As soon as the lap band procedure is over the anesthesiologist or CRNA will begin to wake you up. You may notice them requesting you to open up your mouth or perhaps to squeeze their hand. They execute this to make sure you are awake enough to breath independently before they remove the breathing tube. They should then take the breathing tube out. You are moved onto a stretcher and they will wheel you into the recovery area or PACU (post anesthesia care unit).