What Is an Endoscopic Gastric Balloon?
The endoscopic gastric balloon is a recent non-surgical procedure designed to treat morbid obesity by limiting how much you can eat and increasing the feeling of satiety, through a saline-filled silicone-balloon placed in your stomach. This procedure is recommended if you are overweight and other methods -like diet and exercise- haven’t worked on you.
King’s offers the Endoscopic Gastric Balloon procedure as part of our Weight Loss & Bariatric Programme, our preferred Balloon is the FDA approved Orbera® Gastric Balloon weight loss system.
Orbera® Gastric Balloon
Orbera® Gastric balloon, also known as Orbera® intragastric balloon, is an FDA approved non-surgical intragastric balloon weight loss procedure that uses an inflatable device (balloon) to occupy space in the stomach in order to reduce the stomach’s food carrying capacity. It also makes the individual feel full faster and for longer therefore allowing him/her to eat fewer servings of food.
Orbera® is the world’s number 1 intragastric balloon weight loss program that’s proven to help patients experience 3.1x more weight loss than diet & exercise alone. The gastric balloon, which is inserted orally like a pill before it’s inflated after reaching the stomach, does not require any form of surgery, incisions, sutures or scars.
Who is An Ideal Candidate for Orbera® Gastric Balloon?
For one to be considered for the gastric balloon procedure, the individual must fit certain criteria. These include:
- Having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 30-40 or higher
- Not having a prior gastrointestinal surgery
- Being 18 years old and above
- Be willing to be part and commit to this supervised medical program
- Having realistic expectations
- Being too overweight to undergo a weight loss surgical procedure
- Not having any inflammatory gastrointestinal tract disease
- Not being pregnant or breastfeeding
- Being psychologically healthy
How Much Weight Can You Lose with the Orbera® Gastric Balloon?
Although one should expect to lose a certain amount of weight with the intragastric balloon, the actual amount of weight lost is dependent on the eating habits and lifestyle of the patient. Studies have shown that one can loose between 15% and 50% of their body weight following the gastric balloon placement, with the most weight loss happening in the first four months of the treatment.
How Should You Prepare for the Procedure?
Before going for the balloon placement, the patient has a detailed consultation with the specialist where they will discuss his/her long-term weight loss goals, lifestyle and fitness. A clinical dietician will also be involved in the process to give the patient guidance on their diet and nutrition. Prior to the procedure, the patient should go nil-by-mouth for at least 12 hours, whereby he/she should bot consume any food or liquids.
What Happens During the Orbera® Intragastric Balloon Procedure?
If the patient fits the required criteria for having a gastric balloon procedure, he/she undergoes a diagnostic endoscopy to make sure the internal organs are healthy and in good shape, which is key for a safe procedure as well as for averting possible complications at a later day.
During the placement of the balloon, the patient is mildly sedated, and the doctor uses an endoscope to insert the deflated balloon through the mouth into the stomach. The balloon is then filled with sterile saline water using a syringe to expand to about the size of a grapefruit and stays there for 6 months.
During these initial 6 months the Orbera® balloon is inside the stomach, the patient retrains his/her brain to reduce the amount of food consumed and to recognize when the stomach is full. Additionally, the patient is in constant communication with the doctor, dietitians and any other expert involved in the weight loss program so as to maximize the benefits of the Orbera® weight loss balloon.
After these 6 months, the gastric balloon is removed and for the remaining 6 months of the weight loss program, the patient continues working closely with his/her specialists to follow a personalized diet and exercise program.
What Are the Post-placement Side Effects of Gastric Balloon?
Some of the side effects one should expect after the gastric balloon has been placed include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Acid reflux
- Abdominal cramps
Some of the rare side effects may include:
- Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus)
- Development of gastric ulcers
- Bowel obstruction in very rare cases where the balloon slips into the lower intestines and deflates
What are the Benefits of Orbera® Gastric Balloon?
If the doctor’s and dietician’s recommendations are strictly followed, the patient will be able to achieve long-term weight loss, which can be managed by lifestyle changes. Other benefits of the Orbera® gastric balloon include:
- It’s FDA approved help patients lose 48% of their weight more than other FDA-approved gastric balloons
- The Orbera® balloon can help patients lose up to 3.1x the weight of diet and exercise alone
- It’s a non-surgical procedure
- It does not involve any incisions and scarring
- It is performed on an outpatient basis
- The balloon is easy to insert and remove
- The procedure is reversible
- An improvement in obesity-related health conditions is achieved. These include hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnea
- Higher self esteem
Should you have any further inquiries or require additional information, please feel free to reach out to our team at 0566855872
Faqs
الأسئلة الأكثر شيوعا
This is a balloon that is endoscopically introduced into the stomach through the mouth and esophagus. A sterile solution of saline is used to fill the balloon, which then expands inside the stomach to fill the space in the cavity. The balloon helps you lose weight by reducing how much food you eat.
A gastric balloon commonly ranges in size from 4–6 inches. Regarding feeling the balloon, opinions can vary, but most people claim they can’t feel the balloon specifically and instead experience a feeling of fullness. Some claim, however, that they can feel the movement during intensive activities like jogging.
The 6-month balloon capacity is fixed and cannot be changed; therefore, it must be removed at the end of the 6 months. The 12-month balloon is adjustable, and endoscopy can be used to raise or reduce its volume.
After surgery, you can have a few typical side effects. They consist of abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, decreased stool frequency and volume, odor when burping, acid reflux, and heartburn. Changes in your stool and urine color to a green or bluish tint are urgent side effects for which you should visit a doctor. This suggests that the balloon is leaking and could impede your intestines if it tries to move through there like regular food.
Weight loss generally happens quickly, with the majority of it happening in the first three to four months. According to research, after about six months, most patients drop about 14–20% of their total body weight. You should keep in mind that even though the balloon helps you lose weight, your weight loss will rely on how strictly you adhere to your diet in addition to exercise and the advised lifestyle modifications.
You should schedule at least five days of immobility to fully recuperate from the surgery with the first three days being the most hectic. Depending on how fast your body gets used to the balloon, you may be able to resume normal activities earlier or later than this.
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