Weight Loss through Lap Band Surgery – Costs and Best Bargains

October 18th, 2008

Lap Band surgery is the surest way of losing fat and is fast becoming a procedure of choice the world over for people looking for a permanent solution to their ‘fatty’ problem. The cost of lap band surgery differs from city to city in the Unites States. This discrepancy comes because of the varying facilities offered by clinics performing lap band surgery as well as the differing tax structures in the individual states. Though the surgery involves no stomach stapling and is much less invasive than a gastric bypass surgery, it still requires the involvement of a surgeon, an anesthetist, a short period of hospitalization as well as post operative care and regular monitoring by a qualified physician until the patient adjusts to the special lifestyle changes necessary post surgery. At times the patient may also require a psychologist to help cope with possible psychological side effects of the surgery. Depending upon the type of Health Plan a patient has signed for, the actual costs incurred will vary. Typical fees Lap Band surgeries will include pre-operation test fees, fees for the surgeon, the anesthetist, hospital charges, surgery charges, post operative care charges in addition to costs of optional counseling. The type of health plan makes a difference to the overall billing. For example, if the health plan caters for only an out-patient surgery, where the patient will be discharged post surgery, the costs could be lower.

In any case, a safe yardstick to go by for the entire cost in the United States would be in the range of 12,000 to $30,000. Subsequent to surgery, the consulting fees for post-op care may vary from $35 to $200 per visit. In Australia and Europe, the surgery costs in itself are a little less, between $11000 and $16000, because of lower overhead costs. Other countries to look out for even better bargains with equal if not better facilities include Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, India, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada. These countries, contrary to popular belief do specialize in Lap Band surgery. India, for instance, has a pool of well trained surgeons and state-of-the-art infrastructure offering five-star treatment at bargain prices. Hospitals in Chennai offer Lap Band surgery for all of $8000 and this includes cost of airfare! Other Indian metropolitan cities such as Mumbai and Delhi too offer similar packages. Medical tourism is actively encouraged by the Government of India who considers its niche skill in surgeries as an avenue for promotion of the national talent as well as the Tourism industry. Indian hospitals are innovative and at times offer a combined surgery cum sightseeing package also – an interesting combo!

If you are looking to get a Lap Band surgical procedure done abroad, check whether the implants being used are acceptable in your home country. If you are too sick to travel, then a Lap Band surgery near home is the best option. In such cases a good health plan or a health insurance which caters for Bariatric Surgery can help cut costs significantly. Again, be sure to look for the hidden terms and do your own research. You don’t want to land up in the middle of a nightmare, all in the hope of saving a few hundred bucks. While choosing the best bargain, be thorough in your scrutiny, read up on the Internet, review testimonials as also the recommendations of surgeons and other doctors in the know of things – safety first!

What is lap band surgery?

September 15th, 2008

Lap band surgery, also known as laparoscopic obesity surgery, is a type of laparoscope surgery. This is a form of surgery that relies on a series of incisions that are used by a telescopic rod lens and a number of surgical tools.

These incisions, also referred to as ports, have been seen as a minimally invasive surgery (MIS), that reduces the complications that can be seen in traditional surgery. There is also a shortened hospital stay and also a much faster recovery time.

The laparoscopic obesity surgery uses the MIS technique to allow the surgeon to enter the chest cavity and use a video image to perform the surgery that once required the surgeon to see literally what they were doing. With this method, the laparoscopic obesity surgery has required different methods to have the same results that a gastric bypass surgery would have.

The laparoscopic obesity surgery is a process where the surgeon can take the stomach and create two pouches out of it. The one that is used by the body is normally seen to be less than ten percent of the mass of the stomach. This is done using a series of surgical staples that divide the stomach and also ensure that there is little chance of the pouches merging back into their original state.

Unlike the gastric bypass surgery, the surgeon has little need to sever the small intestine. This means that the surgeon can perform the laparoscopic obesity surgery with little chance of leakage and also a minimal chance of the process being reversed.

The laparoscopic obesity surgeries have become diverse in some areas of how the process is done, but these variations are typically minor in comparison to other operations. The laparoscopic obesity surgery has also been seen as a more direct approach to isolating most of the stomach and ensuring that the person is getting the desired result.

In recent years, the laparoscopic obesity surgery has gained in appeal with a number of celebrities using this and also the success rate that the surgery has shown. Unlike the traditional methods, there are fewer traumas to the chest cavity and to the muscles that reside there. This means that there are less chances of hernias and also minimal pain in comparison to the old methods.

Laparoscopic obesity surgery may be a new method, but it has evolved quickly and has been one that has had a higher success rate at the same pace as a gastric bypass. The benefits have been documented by a number of professionals and also by the testimonies of those that have had the process done.

As with many other MIS based operations, laparoscopic obesity surgery has been seen as an operation that a typical surgeon should not do. The fact that the surgeon is limited to a two dimensional image and also the lack of direct contact has made this a surgery that requires a specialist. This fact can scare some, but there is normally no reason as these are professionals that have been well versed in this method.