Realize^TM Personalized Banding Solutions

Did you know that weight loss with bariatric surgery is associated with significant improvement or resolution of chronic obesity and its related comorbidities?  It's time to change your life and improve your health! SPECIAL CASH PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE

Adjustable Gastric Banding Procedure Now Offered at The NEW Program at Community Hospital of Long Beach

The REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band is a surgical implantable device intended for use in weight reduction and improvement in obesity-related health conditions for patients with morbid obesity. The REALIZE™ Band is a soft, adjustable silicone band wrapped around the stomach to limit food intake and makes patients feel full faster and longer. Most patients lose significant weight and improve or resolve obesity-related health conditions within the first year of surgery.

The REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band has been commercially available outside the U.S. as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB) since 1996 and has been implanted in over 100,000 patients worldwide. Brian Quebbemann, MD and Justin Bravermann, MD, bariatric surgeons with The N.E.W. Program at Community Hospital of Long Beach are certified by Ethicon Endo-surgery Inc., in the safe and efficacious use of the REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band. 

The surgery can be done in less than an hour, thereby decreasing time under anesthesia. The upper stomach will eventually only hold about four ounces of food and adjustments can be made based on a patient’s individual needs and can be performed in about 5-10 minutes from The N.E.W. Program Medical Offices in Newport Beach, CA.

About the REALIZE Band

• In multi-center U.S. clinical trials REALIZE™ Band patients lost an average of 40% of their excess body weight within the first year and kept it off for at least three years
• Thirty-five percent of patients lost 50% or more of excess body weight and 10% of patients lost 75% or more of excess body weight
• One year after surgery, patients reported improvements in their quality of life, including better general health. Three years after surgery the following improved:
  

  - Vitality, mental health and social functioning
  - Reduction in bodily pain and increased ability to complete daily and work activities

• After three years, patients experienced a 22% increase in good cholesterol (HDL) and a decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL), total cholesterol and triglycerides. In addition, patients experienced a statistically significant reduction in the key indicator for type 2 diabetes (HbA1c)

• The most common adverse events include nausea, vomiting, constipation and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)

  Interactive Tool to Play Key Role in Helping Patients Reach Health
  and Weight Loss Goals After Surgery
  

  The NEW Program is among the first in California to offer the REALIZE™ ze Adjustable Gastric Band, a device that is surgically implanted around the stomach to help people with morbid obesity lose weight and improve or resolve obesity-related health conditions including type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and high cholesterol.

  In the clinical trial that led to its FDA approval, REALIZE Band patients lost an average of 50 pounds or 40 percent of their excess body weight within the first year of surgery and maintained that weight loss over three years. More than one-third of patients lost 50 percent or more and about 10 percent lost 75 percent or more of their excess weight.

  "Gastric band patients are able to lose a significant amount of weight and improve their overall health status in a relatively short period of time, considering many have been morbidly obese for years prior to surgery," said Brian B. Quebbemann, MD, FACS. "And while the surgery is among the most effective treatments for morbid obesity, it is just one stop along the patient's journey. Patients must make changes to their diet and lifestyle after surgery to help achieve long-term success."

  With that in mind, the REALIZE Personalized Banding Solution gives patients the REALIZE mySUCCESS program, which provides support to help patients successfully achieve long-term weight loss with the REALIZE Band. Through REALIZE mySUCCESS, patients and physicians can set goals and continuously watch the patient's progress together - especially for the first three years, as the patient adjusts to his/her new lifestyle - so healthcare providers can step in precisely when needed to keep patients on track.

  With REALIZE mySUCCESS, patients establish a tailored progress plan, to develop new health habits in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and emotional well-being. "REALIZE mySUCCESS works closely with our bariatric team," said (Paula Halse, Bariatric Program Coordinator and Successful Patient). "The information provided is comprehensive yet specific to the needs of a gastric band patient. Our patients are really benefitting from having this added support that is available online day and night."

  The REALIZE Band, which is marketed under the name Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB) outside the U.S., has been commercially available outside the U.S. since 1996 and has been used by more than 100,000 patients worldwide to help manage their weight. For more information visit our contact us page.

To learn more about the REALIZE band and surgical weight loss options, please attend one of our information seminars at Community Hospital of Long Beach or our Corporate Offices in Newport Beach, CA.    Sign up today to take charge of your weight and health! 

If you live outside the state or out of the immediate Orange and Los Angeles Counties, we have special arrangements with hotels and transportation companies.  (view our arrangements with hotels and transportation )

How is The REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band Procedure Performed?
The REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band is a minimally invasive procedure that is typically performed in less than an hour! The following steps are expertly executed by Drs. Brian Quebbemann and Justin Braverman:

1. The bariatric surgeon creates small incisions in the abdomen to insert surgical instruments and a camera (laparoscope).

2. The band is wrapped around the stomach and tightened to create two chambers—a small upper stomach with a narrow opening to a lower stomach.

3. Once the band is in place, surgeons attach the REALIZE™ Injection Port to the abdominal wall underneath the skin. This allows the bariatric surgeons to inject or remove saline to tighten or loosen the band, using the REALIZE™ Port Applier.