Lap-Band Lawsuit & Lawyer

Please note, The Schmidt Firm, LLP is no longer accepting Lap Band claims. If you feel that you may have a potential case, we urge you to locate another law firm adequately suited to handle your claim.

If you have been injured by Lap Band surgery, contact a Lap Band lawyer at The Schmidt Firm, LLP. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a Lap Band lawsuit. There has been a massive surge in the number of these weight-loss surgeries all over the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently become concerned because the prolific advertisements are misleading and fail to warn consumers of the serious, life-threatening, and sometimes deadly risks that are associated with these surgeries.

What You Can Do & How a Lap Band Lawsuit Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting Lap Band induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured or died as a result of weight-loss surgery, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free Lap Band lawsuit consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Lap Band Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

What is the problem with Lap-Band?

The surge in obesity in America has also come with a surge in weight-loss surgery — a six-fold increase in Southern California in five years. Over the last decade, the number of weight-loss surgeries nationally has increased more than seven-fold. 220,000 surgeries are performed every year, and this number is expected to increase, as surgical centers add surgeons to meet the growing demand for this surgery.

The problem is that many people who seek Lap Band surgery may not know that these surgeries come with serious risks. They may be misled into choosing weight-loss surgery over diet and exercise, believing that they are incapable of losing the weight through traditional methods. Instead of choosing Lap Band surgery as a last-resort, as the FDA recommends, they are choosing weight-loss surgery as a quick way to lose weight.

The FDA recently attacked the ubiquitous 1-800-GET-THIN ads plastered all over Southern California, as misleading people about the safety and effectiveness of Lap-Band surgery. Some people who were injured contact a Lap Band lawyer, and the company is now facing several lawsuits.

Many doctors are concerned over the increase in weight-loss surgery for children, especially because the long-term effectiveness of these surgeries is not well known. Furthermore, doctors are concerned that their bodies may still be developing, and they have not had much time to try to lose weight without surgery. 1-2% of all weight-loss surgeries are on patients under 21. If the FDA approves weight-loss surgery for children as young as 12, this number will probably increase.

What is Lap Band Surgery?

The Lap Band surgery is also known as laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, and consists of 39% of all weight-loss surgeries. During surgery, a surgeon makes a small incision in a patient’s abdomen, and uses a tube with a camera on it to guide the placement of a silicone ring around the upper part of the stomach. This ring is attached to a tube, which sits just under the patient’s skin. After surgery, the surgeon can inject fluid into the tube to inflate or deflate the ring around the stomach. When the ring is tightened, it creates a pouch in the upper part of the stomach, which can only hold a walnut-sized amount of food. If a person with a Lap Band eats more than this amount of food, he or she will stretch the stomach, vomit, and may damage their esophagus. When this small amount of food is digested, it slides into the lower stomach, and the person can eat another small amount of food. Patients who undergo this surgery can only eat the amount of food that fits into the pouch. They must make dramatic changes to their diet, or risk damaging their stomach and esophagus by vomiting.

The risks of weight loss surgery:

One in 2,000 gastric banding patients die during or immediately after surgery
One in 900 gastric bypass patients die during or immediately after surgery
1% of gastric banding patients (3% of gastric bypass patients) develop major complications, such as perforated bowel or blood clots

Additional surgeries are often required to adjust the band if it slips, replace it if it breaks, or remove it if the patient experiences a severe complication or fails to lose weight. Some serious complications of the Lap Band include perforation of the stomach and band erosion into the stomach tissue.

How do I contact a Lap Band Lawyer for a Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting Lap Band induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured after Lap Band surgery, you should contact our Lap Band lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Lap Band Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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The Schmidt Firm, LLP has been recognized as one of the nation's leading plaintiff's law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achivements, but equally self-respecting of our firms reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.

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