Individuals considering weight-loss surgery can have adjustable gastric banding or gastric bypass surgery done safely in under two hours on an outpatient basis at an ambulatory surgery facility, according to a study in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (JSLS).

The obesity epidemic in the U.S. has led to a rapid rise in the number of bariatric procedures performed each year (205,000 in 2007 compared to 16,200 in 1992). Until recently, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) were performed in a hospital setting. Little was known of the safety and feasibility of performing the surgical procedures at ambulatory surgery centers (ASC).

From 2002 to 2008 Kent Sasse, M.D., M.P.H., FACS and colleagues at Western Bariatric Institute initiated a study to determine the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) on carefully selected patients at ASCs. They conducted 248 bariatric procedures, specifically 210 LAGB and 38 LRYGB procedures.