Ever heard of a balloon being used to tackle obesity? A balloon which
makes you feel so full that you eat just a quarter of what you normally do?
That’s what the Bioenterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB) does. It’s a relatively
new, non-surgical way of losing weight for the obese and those who are morbidly
obese and aren’t fit for surgery.
Battling weight is a chronic
problem for some and can lead to myriad health problems — diabetes, heart
disease, stroke and hypertension. While for some, obesity is genetic, for
others, eating badly and exercising little is
a way of life.
BIB was officially launched in
India in May 2007 and is used in Europe and Asia. It’s generally used for those
with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-35. For the morbidly obese, ie those with a
BMI of 40 or more, surgery, such as gastric banding and gastric bypass, is
generally the only option. BMI, incidentally, is measured by weight in
kilogrammes divided by square of height in metres.
BIB is a soft, silicon balloon
that’s inserted into the stomach with an endoscope. It’s then filled with
methyline blue mixed saline, says Dr Pavan Kumar, laproscopic and endoscopic
surgeon, Bhaatia Hospital, Mumbai.
He was the first to do this
procedure in India and has done some 40 cases so far. The amount of saline
injected is 500-700 ml, says Dr Shashank Shah, director, Obesity and Metabolic
Disorders, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai and Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune. "In case of a
leakage, which is rare, the blue colour of the saline will leak into the urine
which will become green," says Kumar.
As the BIB fills three-fourths
of the stomach, it gives a feeling of satiety and makes the person eat a quarter
of what he normally does. It’s removed after six months, again through an
endoscope. Along with supervised diet, a patient can lose 10-15 kgs through this
procedure, says Dr Sandeep Malhotra, co-ordinator, Bariatric Surgery, Artemis
Hospital, Delhi.
Is there any
chance of the balloon passing into the bowel. "No," he says. "The full balloon
has a self-sealing valve, and will float freely in the stomach." However, there
is nausea in the beginning for three days as the body tries to reject this
foreign body. Medications are given to stem this. Solid silicon, assures Kumar,
is safe in the body.
So what are the
precautions which need to be taken?
• Avoid
large chunks of meat and chicken and fish bones which can’t be digested.
• Take
antacids to control gastric juices, says Shah.
• Also,
call your doctor immediately if the urine becomes green.
• After
six months, go on a good dietary regime so that you don’t gain the weight you
have lost.
Even a weight loss of
10-15 kgs, says Malhotra, can reverse certain health conditions such as
diabetes. However, Shah says this is a temporary measure for morbidly obese
people. His first patient for this procedure was so grossly obese that he had to
be brought in a wheel chair. "He had a BMI of over 70," he says.
The cost of the surgery is
around Rs 70,000-90,000 ($2,000 USD), says Shah, and the patient has to be admitted for 2-3
days. But to maintain the weight loss, long-term lifestyle changes in diet and
exercise are a must. And then, watch your weight float away like a hot air
balloon.
Via Times of India