Gastric Balloon

A gastric balloon is done through the use of Endoscopy, which is a minimally invasive approach using a flexible tube, small camera and light that is placed in the stomach and intestine via the esophagus.

Using endoscopy, one of these approved therapies that we know the offer is the gastric balloon. The gastric balloon is placed temporarily in the stomach for six months and it encourages portion control.

For more than 20 years the global medical using these gastric balloons to help thousands of people who want to lose weight. These balloons are now FDA approved and have been evaluated in numerous studies and have been shown to help people lose more weight when compared to just diet alone.

Patients that had the gastric balloon placed in their stomach were able to lose three times the mass, one would generally lose with just exercise and diet only and research has shown that this weight loss can be continued for a considerable period of time, once the gastric balloon is removed.

The balloon takes up about ⅓ of the stomach, and in doing so it helps you eat smaller meals and enables you to stick to your diet.

Typically, patients that had the gastric balloon placed in their stomach were able to lose three times the mass, one would generally lose with just exercise and diet only and research has shown that this weight loss can be continued for a considerable period of time, once the gastric balloon is removed.

The gastric balloon is inserted endoscopically under light sedation. The deflated balloon is passed into the stomach and then inflated with 400 to 700 cc’s of normal saline, then the deployment catheter is released and the balloon is left behind in the stomach.

Balloon removal is equally simple, when the patient is asleep, the endoscope is inserted into the stomach and a suction catheter with a sharp tip is used to pierce the balloon and remove the fluid.

The empty balloon is then grabbed and removed with the endoscope through the mouth. The procedure takes approximately 20 minutes and the patients go home after waking up.