Vertical Banded Gastroplasty
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Dec 2, 2024.
VBG, or stomach stapling, is surgery to make your stomach smaller. This surgery is done to help with weight loss.
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WHILE YOU ARE HERE:
Before your surgery:
- Informed consent is a legal document that explains the tests, treatments, or procedures that you may need. Informed consent means you understand what will be done and can make decisions about what you want. You give your permission when you sign the consent form. You can have someone sign this form for you if you are not able to sign it. You have the right to understand your medical care in words you know. Before you sign the consent form, understand the risks and benefits of what will be done. Make sure all your questions are answered.
- An IV will be placed into a vein. You may be given medicine or liquid through the IV.
- General anesthesia will keep you asleep and free from pain during surgery. Anesthesia may be given through your IV. You may instead breathe it in through a mask or a tube placed down your throat. The tube may cause you to have a sore throat when you wake up.
During your surgery:
- You will be given general anesthesia to keep you asleep and free from pain during surgery. Your surgeon will make small incisions in your abdomen. A scope and other medical tools will be put through the incisions.
- Your surgeon will use a soft band and staples to make a small stomach pouch. The band is located at the lower part of the pouch and creates a small opening. The opening will allow food to pass into the rest of the stomach.
- Your surgeon will close your incisions with stitches or staples.
After your surgery:
You will be taken to a room to rest until you are fully awake. You will be monitored closely for any problems. Do not get out of bed until your healthcare provider says it is okay. You will then be able to go home or be taken to your hospital room.
- Healthcare providers will help you get out of bed to walk after surgery. Ask if you can do some exercises in bed. Exercise helps blood move through your body and may help prevent blood clots. Call for a healthcare provider before you get out of bed for the first time. If you feel weak or dizzy while standing up, sit or lie down right away and call for a healthcare provider.
- Take deep breaths and cough 10 times each hour. This will decrease your risk for a lung infection. Take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can. Let the air out and then cough strongly. Deep breaths help open your airway. You may be given an incentive spirometer to help you take deep breaths. Put the plastic piece in your mouth and take a slow, deep breath. Then let the air out and cough. Repeat these steps 10 times every hour.
- You will be able to eat and drink gradually after surgery. You will begin with ice chips or clear liquids such as water, broth, juice, and clear soft drinks. If your stomach does not become upset, you may then eat soft foods, such as ice cream and applesauce.
- A Foley catheter is a tube put into your bladder to drain urine into a bag. Keep the bag below your waist. This will prevent urine from flowing back into your bladder and causing an infection or other problems. Also, keep the tube free of kinks so the urine will drain properly. Do not pull on the catheter. This can cause pain and bleeding, and may cause the catheter to come out.
- Medicines may be given to relieve pain or prevent nausea.
RISKS:
You may bleed more than expected or get an infection. Your esophagus or other organs may be damaged during surgery. You may develop a life-threatening blood clot. The gastric band may break, cause a scar, or erode the stomach tissue. The internal staples could break down. Stomach liquid may leak into your abdomen. You may develop gallstones. You may lose weight and then gain it back.
CARE AGREEMENT:
You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your healthcare providers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.© Copyright Merative 2024 Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.
The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.
Further information
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