The REALIZE™ Band
The REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band (REALIZE Band) is one of several options in the growing field of weight loss surgery. The band is a surgically implanted weight loss device that helps a person eat less and thus lose weight. The device consists of a silicone band, tubing, and an injection port. It is indicated for use in the treatment of morbid obesity.
Gastric banding is a restrictive type of weight loss surgery.
How Gastric Banding Works
The REALIZE band is a restrictive type of bariatric surgery that reduces food intake by narrowing the opening to the stomach using a medical device. With this procedure all body organs remain intact and unaltered, it does not involve cutting the stomach and intestines or rerouting the digestive system, as in gastric bypass procedures.
During surgery, the gastric band is placed around the upper part of the stomach and the injection port is placed under the skin on the abdominal wall. The gastric band accomplishes two purposes.
- It creates a smaller stomach pouch that can hold only a small amount of food, reducing the amount of food that can be eaten at any one time.
- It makes the opening between the new stomach pouch and the main portion of the stomach smaller, which slows the movement of food through the digestive system. By slowing digestion, a person feels full sooner and for a longer period of time.
The size of the stomach opening can be made smaller or larger by adjusting the band to control the rate at which food passes through the stomach. The adjustments are made by adding or removing fluid from the band through an injection port which is connected to the band with tubing during a doctor's office visit.
About the REALIZE Band
The REALIZE Band was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2007. Although it was the second gastric band to be approved for use in the US, it was actually the first gastric band to be patented worldwide. It is marketed outside the US as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB), where it has been commercially available since 1996 and used to help more than 100,000 patients control their eating and manage their weight.
The Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band was patented in 1985 by Obtech Medical of Switzerland. In 2002, Obtech Medical and the SAGB patent was purchased by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., an operating company of Johnson & Johnson. They are marketing the gastric band in the United States as the REALIZE Band.
The gastric band was originally designed to be implanted using open surgery, since laparoscopic surgery was not common at the time. As laparoscopic techniques developed, surgeons began to implant the SAGB laparoscopically, which has been done successfully since 1994. The original band has undergone a few design changes and the company is claiming that the newer features result in fewer slips and fewer erosions.
Patient Eligibility for Gastric Banding
Gastric banding is used to facilitate weight loss in severely obese adults who have been obese for at least five years and have not been able to lose weight through non-surgical weight loss methods, such as supervised diet, exercise and behavior modification programs. The patient must fully understand the lifelong changes required and be willing to make the necessary changes in their eating habits and lifestyle. Patient eligibility for gastric banding is determined by a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40, or a BMI of at least 35 with one or more severe health conditions associated with obesity, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and severe sleep apnea.
Benefits of the REALIZE Band
The potential benefits of using the REALIZE band include weight loss and improvement in obesity-related health conditions. In the US study, at three years after having the REALIZE Band implanted, the average weight loss was 42% of a person's excess weight, 35% of the patients lost 50% or more of excess weight, and 10% of the patients lost 75% or more of excess weight.
Weight loss occurs at an average rate of 1-2 pounds per week, which is considered a healthy rate and lessens the possibility of nutritional deficiencies. Gastric banding is a tool to help with weight loss, but ultimately weight loss depends on following the dietary guidelines and exercise program as recommended by a patient's doctor.
One of the unique benefits accompanying the REALIZE Band is the patient support program, called REALIZE mySUCCESS, which promotes long-term success after surgery. The program is for REALIZE Band patients only and provides online access to healthy, band-friendly recipes, personalized weight loss tracker, integration with a patient's bariatric surgery program, and interactive tools such as a food diary, body image diary, exercise tracker and daily reminders. Support has been shown to be a crucial part of weight loss success.
