Banding is a medical procedure that uses elastic bands to constrict blood vessels. Banding can be used to tie off blood vessels to stop bleeding, such as when treating bleeding oesophagal varices. The band restricts blood flow to the ligated tissue, causing it to die and slough off the supporting tissue. The same principle underpins haemorrhoid banding treatment.
Banding can also be used to limit an organ’s function without killing it. Gastric banding is used to treat obesity by reducing the size of the stomach, which slows digestion and makes the patient feel fuller faster.
Banding is a common medical procedure in livestock for the male castration of sheep and cattle. Banding is also used in the tail docking of lambs to prevent flystrike and, less commonly, in the tail docking of dairy cattle and draught horses. The bands are wrapped around the scrotum or desired tail site, restricting blood flow to the tissue, which eventually dies and sloughs away from the body. The procedure is frequently carried out by trained farm workers who follow the advice of a licensed veterinarian and local agricultural extension agents.
