Anyone hear of this new bariatric surgery from England????

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I just heard about this new procedure from England. They drop a balloon to your stomach, fill it with NS, and that helps you lose weight, then the balloon is passed through your system when it's no longer needed.

I can't find anything on the Internet about it, but a doc told us about it, so I know it's real.

Anyone have any information on this procedure? It sounds like a much less stressful procedure than a bypass.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

ok, i did find something after i googled "intragastric balloon". here it is:

http://www.obgyn.net/newsrx/general_health-obesity_treatment-20010910-30.asp

intragastric balloon offers impressive weight loss - at a cost

obesity treatment

september 10, 2001

2001 sep 10 - (newsrx.com & newsrx.net) -- by n.r. saltmarsh, staff medical writer - placement of an intragastric balloon appears to be effective for short-term weight loss treatment but causes enough problems for 40% of patients in one study to say they were "very dissatisfied" with the procedure.

e. totte and colleagues in belgium enrolled 126 patients (preoperative body mass index 37.7 kg/m2) in their study of the bioenterics intragastric balloon (bib). the patients were either ineligible for or uninterested in gastric bypass surgery and chose bib, which was left in place at the patients' discretion for three or six months.

subjects got bib placement on an inpatient basis, under general anesthesia, at an inflation of 500 ml of saline. they were given antinausea drugs following the procedure and placed on a standard 800-calorie diet with a dietitian's consultation.

among the 69 patients who were eligible for review, the mean excess weight loss after three months was 48.6% and after six months 50.8%. unfortunately, adverse effects were substantial, with 76.8% of the patients complaining of severe nausea and vomiting that lasted an average of one week, three of whom had their balloons removed early (at one day, one week, and one month after placement). two patients suffered gastric perforation presenting as acute peritonitis three and four months after placement, and their balloons were removed.

of the patients whose balloons were removed at three (n=3) or six (n=66) months, 11 had esophagitis and one showed diffuse gastric erosion, reported totte and coworkers. one patient required removal of the balloon by rigid esphagoscopy after the endoscopic extraction device failed ("weight reduction by means of intragastric device: experience with the bioenterics intragastric balloon," obesity surgery, august 2001;11(4):519-23). forty percent of patients responding to a mailed questionnaire said they were "very dissatisfied" with outcomes from their procedure and their dissatisfaction was not related to how much weight they lost, noted totte and team. fifteen percent were very satisfied, 13% satisfied, 22% reasonably satisfied, and 8.8% dissatisfied.

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Specializes in NICU.

I did a Google search and found the info. It sounds like the Italians have pioneered this new surgery. It sounds like they do a scope, place a silicone balloon in the stomach, then fill it with 500 ml of saline plus methalyne blue (to signal a leak), and remove it after six months so it doesn't disintegrate.

What an ingenious idea! And it couldn't cost too much or be so dangerous, since it's probably just done under conscious sedation, plus no incision or alteration of the GI tract.

Heck, I'd even do it.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11097310/

ETA: Well, now I see from your article that they do use general anesthesia and that there have been complications (my article didn't state any of that). But still, compared to the other surgeries, especially gastric bypass...sounds a lot safer to me.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I like it because it's not permanent. The Roux en Y procedure was so final, so much like a punishment. No turning back. As in "you will never enjoy a piece of birthday cake again...."

That wouldn't work for me; I'd just substitute some other unhealthy addiction.

I thought this procedure might be a little better, would give me a boost with a short-term goal and get me exercising and developing better habits (even though the best way to lose the weight would be diet and exercise).

But at this point, a 40% complication/dissatisfaction rate is a little too steep for me. I have hopes that this procedure can be tweaked as it's used more.

Thanks for the link, Gompers.

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Specializes in NICU.
I like it because it's not permanent. The Roux en Y procedure was so final, so much like a punishment. No turning back. As in "you will never enjoy a piece of birthday cake again...."

No birthday cake??? Ever again??? The horror!!!!

:chuckle

I also like that it's not permanent. They're still working on it though, so maybe in a few years it will be perfected. I wonder if the patients were on Zantac or something along those lines to protect the stomach wall from irritation. Even my patients with G-tubes seem to have irritation from the balloon inside, and most respond nicely with BID Zantac.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
No birthday cake??? Ever again??? The horror!!!! :chuckle

Sure, sure, go ahead. Laugh. See if I care. :p :clown:

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Specializes in NICU.
Sure, sure, go ahead. Laugh. See if I care. :p :clown:

Oh, I am totally not making fun. Birthday cake is one of my most favorite things in the world. I actually have a pack of bakery-bought birthday cupcakes (yellow with white frosting) in the fridge right now. The thought of not having birthday cake terrifies me.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
The thought of not having birthday cake terrifies me.

Me too.

I just didn't used to eat the whole thing....

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