Lap-Band Surgeries Halted Amid Scandal and Death of Patients

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Lap-Band Surgeries Halted Amid Scandal and Death of Patients

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lap-band-20120208,0,6117596.story

Two clinics in California who perform the now famous Lap-Band surgeries have been forced to quit performing the operation due to Lap-Band's manufacturer, Allergan, refusing to sell the product to the clinics. Lap-Band surgery is a procedure that places a small ring in the stomach of patients to encourage them to eat less and less frequently. The end result of the procedure is fast weight loss, and this procedure has become a staple in the stomach of the California cosmetic surgery field because of an aggressive advertising campaign labeled 1-800-GET-THIN which the clinics in question assist in promoting. The company Allergan has declined to comment as to why it has stopped selling to the ring to the clinics associated with the advertising campaign, but those in the industry point to the recent lawsuits filed on behalf of those who have died as a result of the operations in the two California clinics. In fact, a whistleblower who formerly worked with the clinics surgical team is currently speaking with authorities about the unsanitary conditions at the clinics and overbilling of patients. There have been a several lawsuits filed against the clinics in question, and a criminal investigation is underway.

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