[Effectiveness and safety of intragastric balloon for treatment of morbid obesity].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of intragastric balloon (IGB) for the treatment of obese Chinese. METHODS: IGB was placed into the stomachs of 48 Chinese patients in Hong Kong, 13 males and 35 females; aged 39 +/- 9 (18 - 65), with the mean baseline body weight (BW) of 106 +/- 26 kg and mean body mass index (BMI) of (40 +/- 9) kg/m(2), 34 (70.8%) with coexistent obesity-related morbidities, who failed to respond to other weight reducing treatment, via routine gastroscopy under intravenous conscious sedation. Restricted balanced diet with 1200 kcal/day and exercise of 150 minutes/week were prescribed after the balloon placement. The IGB was removed endoscopically after at most 180 days. Follow-up was conducted once a week during the first month and then once a month. RESULTS: The median hospital stay and treatment duration were 1 (IQR 1:2.25) day and 174 (IQR 166:181) days respectively. The BW, BMI, and waist circumference were significantly decreased after the IGB placement (all P < 0.01) with the mean BW loss of (13 +/- 7) kg, mean BMI loss of (5 +/- 3) kg/m(2), mean excessive body weight loss of (45 +/- 36)%, and mean waist circumference loss of (12 +/- 8) cm. 66.7% of the patients were satisfied with the treatment. No serious complication related to IGB was noted. CONCLUSION: IGB is a safe and effective device that achieves moderate weight loss in obese Chinese.

Intragastric balloon in ethnic obese Chinese: initial experience.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of intragastric balloon (IGB) for the treatment of obesity in ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong. METHODS: 15 Chinese patients (10 females; median age 40 years (range 21-58)) completed IGB treatment over a 10-month period since November 2004. Median baseline body weight (BW) and BMI were 100.1 (range 78.5-170.3) kg and 39.4 (range 29.6-56.9) kg/m2 respectively. Coexistent obesity-related morbidities were present in 80% of patients. The Bioenterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB) was employed, and all placement and removal were performed endoscopically under intravenous conscious sedation. A restricted balanced diet (approximately 1200 kcal/day) and 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity exercise were prescribed after balloon placement in a multidisciplinary approach. Outcome measures were collected and assessed in a prospective manner. RESULTS: Median procedure time was 25 (range 19-45) minutes and median hospital stay was 2 (range 1-6) days. Median BW and BMI loss were 15.3 (range 5.3-30.9) kg and 5.6 (range 1.9-12.5) kg/m2 after IGB. The median waist circumference (WC) loss was 9 (range 4-23) cm, and 66.7% of patients were highly satisfied with the treatment. No serious complication related to IGB was observed. CONCLUSION: IGB is a safe and effective device that achieves moderate weight loss in obese ethnic Chinese patients.