Adjustable gastric band slippage is another Gastric banding risks or complications. It means, adjustable gastric band used in this surgery has slipped out from its own place. Band is placed at the position of esophagus and stomach to make two pouches of stomach upper one is small and lower one is larger. Band makes small passages to pass food from this. It restricts the intake of food and thus it helps you to lose your overweight. Along with Adjustable gastric banding advantages there are some comlications ans side-effects.

Adjustable gastric band slippage is of two types—anterior and posterior. This means which side of band has slipped, from back or front side of stomach. Band slip from its place and make pouch bigger. Anterior slippage means slippage of band from front side. Actually this condition is prevented by suturing the stomach below the band to the stomach above the band. It is locking the band at the right place. In spite of this, slippage occurs because either surgeon haven’t place enough stitches or not placed band at the right place.

When gastric band was placed through the “perigastric” technique then Posterior slippages has been found. In this technique back side of stomach was free to slide up through the band. Nowadays “pars flaccid” technique has been used to prevent this situation.

Causes

It is not that it happens immediately but it takes some time to develop. Adjustable gastric band slippage caused due to several reasons but the most common one is frequent vomiting. If patient frequent vomit then the chances of band slippages increase. Vomiting caused when you eat more or in hurry or drink in hurry. Your eating behavior causes this problem. If you eat large chunky food then it blocks at the outlet of stomach and thus it cause vomiting. Vomiting also caused when band is filled more and it becomes too tight.

Another reason for this is, as amount of food intake increase, stomach start to stretch and result with the enlarged stomach pouch. Medically this is treated to release the pressure by deflating the band and slow the growth of pouch enlargement. If it continue to grow then band start rotating until the band and pouch which is enlarged become prolapsed and cause adjustable gastric band slippage. If the band is not placed by surgeon in proper way then also slippage occurs.

Effects

Food doesn’t go through the gastric band in to the rest of the stomach. It results with discomfort, pain, decreased in appetite, nausea, vomiting, reflux, not losing weight. It result re-operation to re-positioned it or re banding new band.

Symptoms:

Gastric band slippage symptoms includes vomiting when trying to drink or eat something, nausea, feeling difficulties in food taking, feeling pain and pressure in abdomen, reflux, increase in pressure when you deeply breath or when you lie down, experiencing night cough, heart burn. These are the gastric band slippage symptoms. If you are experiencing combination of all then you should meet with your surgeon to avoid further complications. You should meet when you are experiencing more vomiting and nausea.

Treatment-

Meet with your surgeon, with the simple x-ray and barium swallow, they diagnosis gastric band slippage. Re-operation is the only treatment for this. Either band repositioned or band removed and then re-banding take place. if you band slipped again and again then think that this is not working for you and you should remove this forever. This is really a complicated when so it is advised that take some precaution to prevent this.

How to avoid-

There are some tips which let you to prevent adjustable gastric band slippage like -- one of the reason for band slippage is band is not placed at appropriate position so chose the best surgeon for your surgery, avoid eating solid food before 5 weeks following after surgery, don’t drink or eat too much which cause vomiting, follow the guidelines which is prescribed for Gastric band diet.

Fill should not be started before 6 weeks after surgery and fill should be done under fluoroscopy. If you are not experiencing any symptoms, then also diagnosis yourself to know about your band slippage. Early diagnosis of enlarged pouch of stomach prevent band slippage.