Not sure if you just heard about this ....
 
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A federal advisory panel backed the use of Allergan Inc.'s (AGN) stomach-shrinking Lap-Band product for a wider group of patients.

The advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said, in an 8-to-2 vote, that the benefits of the device outweighed its risks. But the panel also recommended that Allergan conduct a large, long-term study to look at the device's performance over a period of several years as younger and additional patients may opt to use the product to lose weight.
 
In a review of Lap-Band prepared for the meeting, the FDA said clinical data submitted in support of the product showed it helped obese patients lose weight and "may have a potential to significantly impact" health problems associated with obesity.
 
In a statement, Frederick Beddingfield, Allergan's vice president of clinical research and development, said the company was pleased with the panel's decision.
"Given the health risks of even moderate levels of obesity, it is important to have other treatment options for patients when other attempts at weight loss have proven unsuccessful," he said.
 
The agency said a study looking at 143 patients showed "statistically significant improvements" in all measures of weight and body mass at 12 months, showing the device worked to help patients lose weight.
 
The Lap-Band is currently approved to treat severely obese adults with a body mass index of 40 or more or a BMI of 35 with at least one obesity-related condition, such as Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
 
Allergan is seeking approval to market the device to adults with a BMI of 35 or for adults who have a BMI of 30 and one obesity-related condition.
 
The FDA said that allowing the device to be used in less obese patients than currently allowed would change current medical practice and is one of the reasons the matter was brought to the advisory panel.
 
BMI is a measure that estimates body fat by using a person's height and weight in the calculation. Those with BMIs of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight and those who are considered obese have a BMI of 30 or greater. (A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a normal weight for adults.) About two-thirds of Americans are overweight, with one-third considered obese.
 
The Lap-band is designed to be inserted surgically through a tiny incision and placed at the top portion of the stomach to reduce stomach capacity by creating a small pouch. The band is inflatable and can be tightened or loosened. The company said about 600,000 people have received a Lap-band.
 
The FDA said the effectiveness of the Lap-band for the treatment of severe obesity "with respect to long-term weight loss is less than that of other bariatric surgical procedures, but substantially better than traditional behavioral or medical therapy." A common type of bariatric surgery involves a procedure that staples the stomach and re-routes food around a section of the small intestine.
 
FDA didn't raise major safety concerns, but said seven patients had a re-operation after initially receiving a Lap-band. One patient had a re-operation to fix an eroded band while four other patients had the band removed and not replaced. One patient requested that the band be removed after having trouble swallowing, the FDA said. Patients are already warned about the possibility of having an additional operation to fix problems with the device or to remove it.
 
The agency said most of the weight loss typically happens within the first 12 months but "it appears that the device is able to help a patient maintain a stable weight thereafter and, thus, may have a potential to significantly impact co-morbidities that are frequently associated with obesity."
 
The study showed that patients entering the study had an average weight of 215 pounds before receiving the Lap-band and lost an average of about 40 pounds one year after receiving the device. The average BMI was 35.4 before surgery and dropped to an average of 28.8 when calculated a year later.

-By Jennifer Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9294; [email protected] 

Other links:
 
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/fda-panel-lap-band-expansion/story?id=12308753 
 
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101203-712793.html
 
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2010/12/experts_endorse_obesity_surger.html
 
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/PublicHealth/23730
 
http://news.google.com/news/more?hl=en&q=lap+band+bmi&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=dbcbaXFuTaFWEXMLvjyztR5jxuHVM&ei=ZXT5TJfHI4et8Abb1fCxCQ&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CC8QqgIwAA

My deciding factors were my pre-existing conditions, and the chance for re-gain. I NEEDED to be able to eat like a 'normal' small adult, and to be able to lose over 200 pounds, and to be able to keep the pounds off.  Yeppers, I had a LOT of needs....   but, if I was only going to be on a diet for the rest of my life, I would be miserable....   I know me too well for that!  I don't need a lot of junk food, but I do want the option of an occasional piece of cake, or an ice cream, and full fat dairy!!!!
      I read everything I could about all types of surgery...  when I found the one I thought I could be successful at, I THEN starting researching the surgeons who were experts in that type.   I figured, if I went to a surgeon who only did one type, that would be the thing he is used to, and great at, and he would only recommend that type.   I decided I wanted the DS, and then found an in-network surgeon who had published papers on that, and who could do it lap...   (Of course, it took me an additional 2 years of sueing BC/BS to get them to pay for it!!!)    It was worth the wait!
    I'm off all my diabetes meds, my high blood pressure meds, my cardiac meds, etc....   I am faithful with my vitamin supplements, and have no trouble this far out eating the required protein.
    Especially from the NJ meet and greets, IGT's, etc....  I have found that there are many successful people with all types of surgery....  you just have to do a lot of reading and research to decide which one will be the one you can live a long and healthy rest of your life with! 

Mary C

I still have the band.  The VBG is not adjustable, it's just a fixed band.  Over time of course the restriction lessens and all the junky foods go down the easiest.  I really need the malabsorption.  My revision in Feb can't come soon enough!!!

I think I've dieted more with my band than any other time during my life.  I also was practically starving to maintain 234lbs for my wedding. 

Just thought I would add my .02....

I had the band initially (I am 5 feet tall and weighed 216 on the day I had the band installed). After 8 months, I had it removed. It did nothing but cause me pain from severe acid reflux. Even empty it was painful. I was also vomiting all the time and suffered from being "stuck" and sliming frequently.

I revised to RNY almost 20 months ago and I currently weigh 104. I don't have any of the problems I had with the band, and I can eat pretty much what I want, just in tiny quantities. That said, I do not eat garbage food all day; I make healthy, protein based choices. If I want a piece of chocolate, I have one piece and make it last, rather than a handful of kisses or something.

Knowing that no foods are "off limits" anymore has been the key for me. Thinking that foods are off limits comes from a lifetime of dieting, which clearly didn't work for me.

ETA - wanted to add to what Tom and Michelle said - I did eat big portions, but from a lifetime of dieting, I also needed the kick from malabsorption to lose weight too - I only lost about 15 - 20 pounds with the band in the 8 months I had it. That came from NOT eating - I was practically starving myself because I couldn't eat.