The Realize Band

By drdkim on September 4, 2008 at 7:57 am

Welcome to our blog section, and thank you spending some time with us to further increase your bariatric education. I wanted to write to you today about a new bariatric surgical device, called the Realize band. This device works like the lap band, in that it decreases the amount of food you can eat at meal time. This is a term, we call restriction. It is inserted via minimally invasive surgery. Using a scope and 5 very small incisions, the Realize band is inserted. A small egg sized pouch is created by gently compressing the top part of the stomach with the band. This pouch is easily filled with less than 4 ounces of food helping a patient feel satisfied and full. The rate of emptying of food from this upper pouch into the lower part of the stomach can be adjusted by adding saline into a port which connects with tubing to the band. The band itself is made of plastic bio-compatible materials. The inside of the port is essentially a soft inner tube which is a reservoir for the saline. The port is implanted on top of the muscle, underneath the skin, so it can’t be seen. This surgery typically takes about 30 minutes to perform. It is performed under general anesthesia and the patient is discharged later the same day.

The Realize band is approximately 10 years old and was first used in Europe. It was actually the first adjustable restricting device, and was originally known as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band. Over 100,000 of these bands have been implanted world-wide. It is a very safe and durable device and it has been very effective in helping patients lose significant amounts of weight. I was selected to be among the first surgeons in the U.S. to be trained to insert the Realize band and have inserted numerous bands since they were introduced to our country. I have been impressed with the weight loss and my patients have been very happy with the progress they have made. As a result of utilizing x-ray guided band fills, patients will lose 1-2 pounds per week.

When considering weight loss surgery, we have to carefully review the risks of the procedure, the benefits of weight loss and the risks of living with the disease of obesity. Morbid obesity (defined as a Body Mass Index of 35 or greater) is a dreaded disease. Patients with morbid obesity have a 400% greater chance of developing Diabetes Type II than non-obese individuals. They also have a 300% greater chance of developing heart disease, a 167% chance of suffering a stroke, a 50% greater chance of developing breast cancer and other types of cancer than individuals who do not have a weight problem. This equates to a shorter life and a diminished quality of life.

Risks with this surgery are very low. This type of surgery does not involve cutting or stapling so it is 10x less risky than gastric bypass surgery. Recovery is much faster, in most cases, people return to work in a matter of days. For patients who do not have insurance coverage, it is half the price of gastric bypass so many patients finance this procedure for around $200/month. With success rates so high after surgery, patients are immensely satisfied. If we look at just the cure rates of Diabetes alone after banding, 85% of patients are cured. I also believe depression is a dreaded disorder that impacts in the every day lives of my patients. 90% of morbidly obese patients suffer from depression compared to 10% of the general population. When depression is related to a person’s weight, after surgery we often see complete or significant improvement in a patient’s depression.

The Realize band also has some interesting features on the web site. You can track your own weight with their software program. It allows you to enter daily food diaries to measure the calories, grams of protein, fats, and carbs. Some of my patients have found this to be an attractive feature that helps them to choose the realize band. If you desire, I as your bariatric surgeon, can follow your progress too, as the software allows me to do this-only with your permission of course!

We at the Live Life Again Center are a committed team of professionals whose only mission is to see you succeed. Utilizing education for sound nutritional principles and state-of -the-art- band fills performed in the office, we achieve high success rates and a safety record that has resulted in the distinguished “Center Of Excellence” designation. This award was presented by our national weight loss society, known as the ASMBS. Once again, thank you for visiting our web site and our blog section. Our next blog topic will be one that I am passionate about, “The State Of The Art Band Fill”. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Sincerely, David Kim, MD FACS

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