Gastric Balloon

Why do people resort to gastric balloons?
Nowadays, obesity and overweight consider big problems for both men and women. Not only in external appearance or the good looking but also it has a several of impacts on the health of the body. Whereas obesity causes many dangerous diseases for millions of people around the world, such as pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. For this reason, nowadays many surgeries and methods have been found to get rid of obesity. Like, such as sleeve gastrectomy, gastric banding, and gastric balloon operation.

What is a gastric balloon?
It is a non-surgery operation used for cutting the weight of approximately 40kg from the overweight body. The idea of the gastric balloon came in that it contributes to reducing the area of the stomach, therefore this operation leads the person to mitigate eating the food until feels full. Which will lead to losing weight faster. In this operation, they use one or more balloons, by inserting them through the mouth and then filling it with special material of liquid or gas.
This balloon is made of silicone and is placed in the stomach, especially at the top of the stomach and the bottom of the esophagus. This balloon is filled with air (or gas as mentioned above) or saline liquid, so the balloon inflates and occupies a good space inside the stomach, which gives a permanent feeling of satiety and reduces the amount of food that is eaten throughout the day.
The gastric balloon is a temporary operation, whereas the balloon will be taken out of the body within 6 to 8 months. And then notice the results and the difference after taking it out, as the person loses the extra weight in that period, but taking out the balloon must be done under regional anesthesia, which it only takes half an hour to complete.

The types of gastric balloon:
1- ORBERA: it is one of the most common and popular types among the other types in the world, it is a single gastric balloon that is inserted by an endoscope through the mouth. Then it is filled using a catheter with a saline solution of about 500 ml with the addition of a few drops of blue dye. This balloon settles in the stomach for about 6 months, during which the person loses between 30-40 kilograms, at a rate of 30% of the person’s basic weight.
2- RESHAPE: This type of balloon is very similar to the first one by its insert and settled, the weight loss, and also the material that fills it. but the difference between this type and the second type is that rather than using one balloon in the first they use two balloons in the reshape type. And this type is characterized by its high safety, And less percentage of the possibility of puncturing the balloon and taking it out before its due date.
3- OBALON: This type is completely different from the previous two types of stomach balloons, where this type is installed through small capsules that are monitored using X-rays, and then filled with nitrogen gas, and more than one capsule can be used to help reduce the largest possible area From the stomach and according to the person’s desire, this type contributes to an average weight loss of 10%.

Gastric balloon benefits:
1- it is a non-surgical operation, with no need for a medical incision or suturing.
2- There is no need to use general anesthesia, only regional anesthesia and a specific sedative are used.
3- The operation is very safe; It is unlikely that any complications or side effects will occur.
4- The results are very effective, but this depends on the person’s commitment to the doctor’s instructions, and following a good health system.
5- The cost of the operation is very cheap compared to the surgeries used for the same purpose.
6- The process of inserting and removing balloons from the stomach is very easy and does not take much time.