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Use of standard hypodermic needles for accessing laparoscopic adjustable gastric band ports
Samuel Mark Bewsher1, Anthony Azzi, Timothy Wright
1Department of Surgery, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. info@newcastleobesitysurgery.com.au
Background:
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is a common and successful method of surgically treating morbid obesity. A recipient will have to attend their surgeon's rooms a number of times to optimally adjust the amount of fluid in the band and hence the amount of restriction. Manufacturers suggest that the ports should be accessed with special non-coring needles that may not always be available in regional or remote centers, and this could create a safety risk in cases where urgent band deflation is required.
Methods:
Ports of two different brands were repeatedly accessed over 100 times in the same location while containing fluid under pressure, using a standard beveled 21 g hypodermic needle (SN) and a 20 g Huber tipped non-coring needle (NCN). The path the needles types took through the port septum was also examined.
Results:
There was no leakage of fluid from any of the ports tested. Neither SN nor NCN passed through the port septum down their axis, but rather in a direction closer to that of their beveled surface.
Conclusions:
There is no more risk of "coring" the septum with a SN than with a NCN. SN can be used safely and routinely to access laparoscopic adjustable gastric band ports.