Can lap-band surgery be dangerous or fatal?

Can lap-band surgery be dangerous or fatal?

Peter LePort (Gastric Bypass Surgeon) gives expert video advice on: What is a 'restrictive weight loss' surgery?; Who should choose to have lap-band surgery?; What are the advantages and disadvantages of lap-band surgery? and more...

Lap-band surgery has its complications even though it's a lot less than gastric bypass. Death rate reported in the literature is about 1 in 1000. That's maybe 1/4 of the rate of gastric bypass. There are complications of the band eroding into the stomach and then patients have to have the band removed or the stomach slipping up under the band or the band slipping around causing the stomach to go up and then the band again has to be deflated and repositioned or removed.