How does the Swedish Band (SAGB) Work?

The goal of the SAGB procedure is to cause an early feeling of fullness (satiety) when eating, thereby causing you to eat less. This is achieved by placing the SAGB around the uppermost part of the stomach, dividing it into two sections, with a small opening between sections allowing food to pass through. The section above the band forms a small pouch that fills with food quickly. As this section of the stomach fills and stretches, nerves in the stomach wall send signals to the satiety centre of the brain causing you to feel satisfied for up to several hours.

The SAGB will assist you to avoid over-eating and to decrease your overall daily food (calorie) intake. As your eating patterns change and you become accustomed to eating less, you can achieve sustainable weight loss, which in turn can lead to a healthier lifestyle with reduced risk of obesity-related health problems.

Although the SAGB is a tool for helping you to induce sustainable weight loss it is not a self acting slimming device.  Your postoperative dietary and behavioural compliance, including exercise, is essential for successful weight loss as well as avoiding complications.

The SAGB Operation

The SAGB procedure is normally performed by using keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery, which is a minimally invasive surgical technique where instruments allow access to the stomach through small 1-2 cm holes in the abdomen compared to a single large incision 15 cm or more in length. The surgeon views the inside of the abdomen on a TV while performing the operation.  The potential advantages of laparoscopic surgery are that it may result in a quicker recovery and less pain than traditional open surgery.

Click to view an interactive presentation of the SAGB procedure.

For more information about the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Banding procedure please speak to your surgeon.  Experienced SAGB surgeons can be found here.

Post-Operative Band Adjustments

During the operation a titanium fluid port will be attached to firm tissue structures of the abdominal wall and will sit permanently under the skin. The port is attached to the band via a thin catheter and allows your doctor to add or subtract fluid from the band according to your individual requirements.

The Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band is empty when first placed around the stomach and after about 4 weeks the band will have healed into place sufficiently for the system to have its first fluid adjustment.

The doctor will use a special "Huber" type needle to insert fluid into the port.  A typical fluid adjustment can be done in the doctor's office or in a radiology department if the doctor wants to view the fluid entering the band using a special X-ray.

The amount of fluid placed in the band as well as the frequency of fills is determined by your doctor according to your weight loss requirements.  If you have any additional questions about fluid adjustments please speak to your bariatric surgeon or doctor.