Gastric balloon

Gastric balloon (intragastric balloon) placement is a weight loss procedure that involves placing a saline-filled silicone balloon into the stomach. This helps you lose weight by limiting your food intake and making you feel full faster.

Why is it done?

Weight loss can reduce the risk of potentially serious weight-related health problems, such as:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Heart disease or stroke
• High blood pressure
• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
• Type 2 diabetes

Intragastric balloon placement and other weight loss procedures or surgeries are usually only performed after you have tried to lose weight by improving your diet and exercise regimen.

An intragastric balloon may be an option for you if:

• Your body mass index (BMI) is between 30 and 40
• Ready to commit to healthy lifestyle changes
• You have not had previous stomach or esophageal surgery

Risks

• Pain and nausea affect about a third of people soon after intragastric balloon insertion. However, these symptoms usually last only a few days after the balloon is inserted.
• Although rare, serious, adverse reactions can occur after intragastric balloon insertion. Call your doctor immediately if nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain occur at any time after surgery.
• If the balloon deflates there is a risk that it will pass through your digestive system. This can cause a blockage that may require an additional procedure or surgery to remove the device.
• Other possible risks include acute pancreatitis, ulcers or a hole (perforation) in the wall of the stomach, which may require surgery to remove.

During the procedure

• The intragastric balloon procedure is performed in the endoscopy unit as an outpatient procedure. You will be anaesthetised for the procedure.
• During the procedure, the doctor moves a thin tube (catheter) filled with an intragastric balloon down the throat into the stomach. The doctor then moves an endoscope - a flexible tube with a camera attached - down the throat into the stomach. The camera allows the doctor to see the balloon as he fills it with saline.
• The procedure takes about half an hour. You can usually go home one to two hours after the procedure is completed.

After the procedure

You can take small amounts of clear liquids about six hours after the procedure. The liquid diet usually lasts until the beginning of the second week, when you can start eating soft foods. You will probably be able to start eating normal food about three weeks after the placement of the intragastric balloon.
Intragastric balloons are left in place for up to 6 months and then removed using an endoscope.

Results

The intragastric bubble can make you feel fuller faster than you normally would when you eat, which often means you'll eat less. One reason for this may be that the intragastric balloon slows the time it takes for the stomach to empty. Another reason may be that the balloon seems to change the levels of hormones that control appetite.
The amount of weight you lose also depends on how much you can change your lifestyle habits, including diet and exercise.
A loss of about 7% to 15% of body weight is typical in the six months after intragastric balloon placement. Total excess weight loss ranged from 30% to 47%.

When weight loss procedures do not work

You may not lose significant weight or regain weight after any type of weight loss procedure or surgery, even if the procedure itself works properly. This weight gain can happen if you do not follow the recommended lifestyle changes. Permanent healthy changes in your diet, along with regular physical activity and exercise, are needed to avoid weight regain.