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Bariatric Surgery: Latest News
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration expands indications for use of gastric banding system for weight loss
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The United States Food and Drug Administration has expanded the use of Allergan's Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System. The Lap-Band System is a surgically implanted device that helps obese patients eat less and lose weight.
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The Lap-Band System was previously approved for use in patients with BMI > 40. Patients with BMI 35 – 40 were also deemed eligible for this surgery provided these patients also had an existing condition related to their obesity (eg. hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, arthritis, obstructive sleep apnoea, etc).
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The Feb 16th, 2011 approval expands the use of the Lap-Band to include obese individuals with a BMI of 30 – 35 who also have an existing condition related to their obesity. This new eligibility criteria decreases the lower limit by 5 BMI points.
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Allergan estimates that in the US alone, the number of eligible patients will increase from 18 million to more than 26 million individuals.
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