The ingestible gastric balloon is a gastric balloon that does not require any endoscopic technique for its placement, since it is swallowed in the form of a capsule similar to that of medicines, which upon reaching the stomach unfolds and fills with liquid, becoming a balloon with the same volume and characteristics as the classic balloons. The filling is performed through a thin catheter attached to the capsule, which is removed by pulling it out once the filling has been completed. The whole process takes little more than five minutes.
In which cases is this technique indicated?
Like all gastric balloons, it is indicated for those people who need to lose weight and who, with a dietary regimen, cannot achieve it or have great difficulty in achieving it.
Although it is normally considered indicated for weight loss between 10 and 30 kilos, for needs greater than 30 or 40 kilos, the sequential balloon technique can be used, that is, placing a second balloon once the first one has been removed to continue with the weight loss.
It is only contraindicated in children and pregnant women, after some types of digestive surgeries and some very large hiatal hernias.
What advantages does it have over traditional techniques?
The obvious advantage is the simplicity of placement, which does not require any special technique other than swallowing a capsule while sitting in a chair. In addition, the balloon will be emptied only four months after its placement and it is eliminated with the stool of the normal intestinal habit, without being noticed by the patient in most cases. Therefore, it does not require any endoscopy or anesthesia for its removal, which was the most delicate part of the classic balloons.
But perhaps the biggest advantage lies in the fact that patients are not aware of when the balloon actually disappears and can continue with weight loss once the balloon has been expelled and have a much easier time following the weight maintenance protocols once they return to a normalized diet.
How is it performed?
The capsule is swallowed, sitting in a chair talking normally with the physician performing the placement. Once it is verified that the capsule is lodged in the stomach, it is filled through the thin catheter attached to the capsule. When the filling is completed, the catheter is removed with a small tug and the process is finished. This does not take much longer than five minutes and during this time, doctor and patient can talk quietly to each other.
Some people have doubts as to whether they will be able to swallow the capsule, but we must keep in mind that they have the help of the physician who places the balloon. Almost everyone has doubts when the capsule is going down the throat, but at that point the doctor helps by pushing a little bit and the capsule is in.
How are the results and what care should the patient follow?
As always when a balloon is placed inside the stomach there is a great sensation of satiety and the patient is not hungry, which allows him to follow a very restrictive diet and achieve a very important weight loss. It is normal to lose between 10 and 20 kilos in the months that the balloon lasts and those who need more can lose more than 30 kilos in 6 months.
But the most important thing is the subsequent maintenance of the weight achieved. The great advantage of this balloon is the smoothness and fluidity of the transition from having the balloon to not having it. Patients do not report a greater or different sensation of hunger at any time during the process and this makes it much easier to manage the post-balloon weight maintenance protocols.