At the LUX MED Group Hospital, there was performed the first procedure for obesity treatment. Specialists performed an endoscopy-guided gastric insertion of a balloon limiting the amount of consumed food in a female patient.

Wojciech Dąbrowski, MD, general surgery specialist, endoscopy laboratory coordinator at the LUX MED Group Hospital, answered the questions about the procedure.

What did the procedure involve?
Gastric balloon insertion, also called the BioEnterics Intragastric Baloon (BIB - System) involves the insertion of a special balloon into patient's stomach and filling it with saline, endoscopy-guided.

What are the benefits?
The procedure reduces the stomach volume, produces the feeling of satiety and limits the capacity to consume food.

What are the indications for the procedure?
The procedure is intended mainly as a pre-operative preparation in the treatment of morbid obesity. It is to prepare the patient to function normally post the stomach volume reduction and to lower the body weight initially. It may be used as an isolated method facilitating obesity treatment.

What does the patient preparation involve?
Prior to qualification, dietician and psychologist care is necessary, as well as a thorough medical interview on other diseases, drugs taken, etc. The procedure itself is performed under anaesthesia administered IV, and the patient should undergo it on empty stomach. In addition, it is preceded by diagnostic gastroscopy, since potential ulcers or inflammatory lesions in the stomach preclude balloon insertion.

How long does the procedure take?
The procedure usually lasts just a dozen or so minutes.

What are the postoperative recommendations?
The balloon may remain in the stomach for a maximum of 6 months. Liquid food is recommended during the first few days, and after that - 5-6 small meals in a day. Diet eliminating sweets, fatty and spicy foods and alcohol should be used. After balloon insertion, the patient should remain under physician and dietician care in an outpatient setting and should monitor his/her body weight. Success is dependent on complying with the dietary recommendations. Even post gastric reduction surgery, patients may gain weight if they continue to consume high-calorie food.

Can the procedure be dangerous?
During the first few days post the procedure, patients usually tolerate the implant poorly. They report nausea, vomiting, they require the administration of antispasmodics and use of liquid diet. The above complaints usually subside after several days. Sometimes, they necessitate premature implant removal. An indication for early balloon removal is mechanical damage - migration of an emptied material to the intestines may cause gastrointestinal obstruction. Abdominal trauma and suspected gastric balloon damage must be treated seriously - endoscopic or radiological check-up is indicated in such cases.