With the obesity epidemic that grips us today, there is the need to find new solutions to this disease that has become a major public health concern.
One of the solutions that have been searched and which were publicized in the media is tummy fat reduction and actually reducing stomach capacity and thus to promote satiety. This is done with surgery for obesity, i.e an operation to remove part of the stomach. Another new option without surgery, is to place a balloon inside the stomach that produces a constant feeling of fullness, so that a person consumes less food and thus helps lose fat pounds quickly.
The deflated balloon is inserted through the mouth and guided through an endoscope into the stomach. Once there, the ball is filled with serum with a blue dye in an amount between 400 to 600 cc. that is trapped inside the balloon through a valve that prevents it being empty. The technique is performed as an outpatient procedure with mild sedation. The ball floats freely in the stomach and prevents the excessive intake of food. During the first weeks are very frequent nausea and vomiting because the patient does not adapt to adequate food to their new situation. It is recommended to be withdrawn within six months to prevent stomach acid weakens the walls of the ball and be able to deflate. The balloon is removed with tweezers by the same endoscopic procedure was placed.
Weight loss depends on the initial weight of the person, ranging from 10 to 20 kg on average at the end of 6 months. This sure beats fighting weight loss the hard way via solid exercise and strict diets to even manage to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks. This is only effective if incorporated into a coordinated program of behavior modification, food and lifestyle. If the patient has not been able to understand these requirements, safely recover partially or totally lost kilos. In general, 30-50% of patients regain their lost weight within 6 months after removal of the ball. At the end of the day, if we are not an impediment to eat normally, it is usual that in the long term recover lost kilos. The difficulty of treating obesity is to lose weight in a few months, but the long-term maintenance. And in this, there is no guarantee that a treatment with a balloon for 6 months will do much long term. In any case, the indication of the placement of an intragastric balloon must be made by a qualified professional, an expert on obesity, which will evaluate the disease in its full context, the real prospects of success, attention to possible complications and subsequent follow-up after ball placement and withdrawal.
This technique is also not entirely free of complications, although uncommon, can be very serious, especially if the balloon is deflated and progresses into the intestine with the possibility of intestinal obstruction, which is a severe disease that requires urgent surgical intervention |
