Gastric balloon

What is a stomach balloon?

It is the insertion of a balloon into the stomach using an oral endoscope (without surgical intervention).

How does stomach balloon achieve weight loss?

While reducing the quantitative capacity is one of the advantages of the process of sleeve gastrectomy, the stomach balloon also depends on reducing the quantitative capacity during the period when the balloon is in the stomach, so the person feels full with the least amount of food.

What is the expected amount of weight loss after the balloon?

From 10 to 20 kg.

What are the factors for a successful balloon operation?

Adhering to the diet after extracting the balloon, so that the person can stick to a lower weight and not fall into weight regain (which is unfortunately common after the balloon).

What are the steps of a stomach balloon?

–Sedation is given to help the patient relax during the balloon insertion process.

- The endoscope is inserted through the mouth and into the stomach (the endoscope includes a camera connected to a TV screen to help get the balloon into the stomach accurately).

- The balloon is entered empty and upon arrival, it is filled with sterile blue liquid, to be used as an alarm indicator if the balloon perforates. The balloon can also be filled with nitrogen gas, as it is light in weight.

- After filling the balloon with sterile liquid, the balloon closes automatically.

- The endoscope is taken out and the balloon is left inside the stomach.

-The process takes about half an hour, and the patient can leave the hospital and return home a couple of hours after the operation.

What are the different types of stomach balloon?

The stomach balloon has multiple types and the differentiation between them is according to the patient's condition; there is the American, the Russian and the French balloon, and there is also the Chinese and others, but the competition remains between the American and the Russian as they are the safest and there is no fundamental difference between them.

• • Orbera (American): the most famous type of stomach balloons in the world, inserted through an oral endoscpoe, and continues inside the stomach for 6 months.
• • Reshape (American): it is very similar to Orbera in terms of use, as well as the solution inside, but it consists of 2 balloons, and is one of the safer types than many other types.
• • Medsil (Russian): This type cannot exceed the stomach's survival period of 6 months, and the Medsil balloon is used for those with a BMI 30.
• • Opalon: One of the types of the programmed capsule or stomach capsule, which is a capsule that is swallowed and enters the stomach and expands to become the size of the balloon and occupies a large space in the stomach.

Balloon Spatz: While this type has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, some people use it because it can last for more than 6 months.

What are the disadvantages of stomach balloon?

(1) Excess weight after the balloon is regained if the patient does not adhere to his diet.

(2) Perforation of the balloon may occur if it remains in the body for a period of more than 6 months. Symptoms include changing the color of urine to blue or red, and the balloon must be removed immediately in this case.

(3) Feeling of vomiting and nausea, especially during the first week after the introduction of the balloon, and these symptoms often improve with medical treatment.

(4) The occurrence of infections and stomach ulcers, which may need extensive medical treatment.

When can the balloon be extracted?

6 months after inserting it.

Who is the right person for the stomach balloon?

As a rule, the stomach balloon is only suitable in cases where a slight weight loss is required. And it is preferable to use the balloon of the stomach with people who do not suffer from excessive obesity (except in the case of preparing for another type of obesity surgery) and theose who do not wish to perform obesity surgery or who have medical contraindications to perform surgeries.

What is the diet after the stomach balloon?

The patient adheres to a diet after placing the stomach balloon, and this system includes eating fluids on the first day after the operation, followed by eating fluids and soups for a week after the operation, then eating pureed foods, and the patient can eat natural foods after that, but through a diet determined by the nutritionist in order not to gain back lost weight again.