An adjustable gastric band is often recommended to obese patients trying to reduce their weight, but new research from the United Kingdom suggests the device may be responsible for severe breathing problems and eventual lung damage. According to Press TV, scientists at Russells Hall Hospital in Britain found that lap band malfunction can lead to severe respiratory and lung damage in patients.
The adjustable gastric band is fitted around a top portion of the stomach in order to compress the stomach and lower appetite, thus helping patients drop pounds. They are implanted and removed through laparoscopic surgery and are preferred by some as a less-involved alternative to weight loss surgery.
Lap bands can be dangerous, however.
In the case that spurred the British research, a 49-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital 20 months after surgery with severe asthma, night sweats and a cough. Though the lap band had helped her reduce her body-mass index from 45 to 33, doctors soon found it was also so tight that it was causing a reflux of food and acid to enter her throat.
The symptoms, which included lung cavitations and esophageal dilation, were all resolved as soon as the lap band was removed.
Researchers suggest that the case could be a common one in relation to lap bands, though symptoms could be misdiagnosed if doctors do not investigate properly.
In addition to lung damage, lap bands have also been linked to other complications such as pouch expansion, band slippage and erosion, Press TV said.
