Intragastric Balloon Placement – Video Talk (Malayalam) – Dr. R. Padmakumar
This video talk is about Intragastric Balloon Placement for treatment of Obesity and Overweight.
Talk by Dr. R. Padmakumar, Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgeon.
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Read More on Bariatric SurgeryThere are many different serious medical conditions associated with obesity and overweight. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, snoring, etc are some conditions associated with obesity. Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) is a common disease found in women associated with obesity. Obesity is common among children also, and it can lead to health issues.
Intragastric Balloon Placement is a procedure that can be performed in overweight and obese patients to bring down their weight. The balloon is a finger sized material to which a tube is inserted and can be filled with fluid. Using endoscopy, this deflated balloon is passed into the stomach. After it is inserted into the stomach, around 60 mL water is filled in inflating the balloon to the shape of a ball. When the balloon is in the stomach, craving for food reduces, as the hunger hormone ‘Ghrelin’ is reduced. The stomach also has a feeling of fullness, which also restricts the amount of food consumed by the patient.
Thus the goal of Intragastric Balloon Placement is to reduce the weight of the patient. As the weight of the patient comes down, there would also be improvement in the medical conditions associated with obesity. For diabetic patients, the need for insulin treatment comes down. Snoring and PCOD also resolves.
How is this balloon passed into the stomach?
Endoscope is need to check the position of the balloon. The procedure is carried out with mild sedation. The stomach will be inspected with the endoscope for any ulcers or other issues. If the patient has GERD problems, medicines need to be taken before the procedure.
After checking the stomach with endoscopy as mentioned above, the balloon which is a finger sized material is passed into the stomach. Due to the mild sedation, the patient will not be aware during the procedure. Methylene blue will be passed into the balloon. This is done so that in case the balloon ruptures, which is a very rare case, there will be discoloration of the urine, and the patient would be aware that the balloon has ruptured. The balloon will then be inflated and positioned properly in the stomach.
The balloon will be kept in the stomach for a period of 6 months, during which time the weight of the patient reduces around 10 to 15 kgs. Along with the weight loss, the other medical issues of the patient also resolves.
This procedure is beneficial especially for women who suffer from PCOD, and also those people who suffer from diabetes, but not managed well with metformin or other diabetic medications. Even children below 18 years, who suffer from obesity, as surgical procedures may not be feasible in them, intragastric balloon placement would be beneficial. It is also beneficial in those patients in which surgical procedures are not possible.
The balloon can be withdrawn from the stomach using the same procedure, by passing an endoscope under mild sedation. The balloon is visualized, punctured, and the water is taken out using a syringe. Once the balloon is deflated, using an instrument to hold the balloon, it is pulled out of the stomach.
