Intragastric balloon is designed for people who need to lose 10 to 30 kg and has a BMI 27 or higher. Gastric balloon is also suitable for most of the patients who are not eligible for other surgical weight loss methods. Gastric ballon helps you lose weight without surgical procedure and decreases the risks during surgery for severely overweight patients.
The gastric balloon is inserted to the stomach through mouth without a surgery. The stomach is endoscopically viewed. If there is no anomaly, the balloon is inserted from the mouth through the esophagus to the stomach. After it is in the stomach, it is filled with sterile solution by the help of little tube attached to the balloon. After this procedure is done, the tube is taken out of the mouth. It takes about 20 minutes to insert the balloon, the general condition of the patient is checked by the nurses. Patients are often discharged from the hospital the same day but to minimize the initial effects of the balloon, we recommend you to spend the night at the hospital.
The main purpose of the balloon, actually, is to slow down the flow of foods and drinks to the stomach. This helps fasten your satiety and significantly reduces the amount of food you need to eat.
The average life is 6 months. It must be removed after 6 months.
