Orbera Balloon System for Obesity

Overview
Approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), Orbera is a temporary balloon that is inserted into the stomach and then filled with saline to take up space, ensuring that less food is eaten. Orbera is indicated for six-month placement to aid in weight loss in tandem with a 12-month behavior modification program. Orbera may be considered as a treatment for people with a body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 40 kg/m2 who have failed to lose weight through diet and exercise alone, and who have not undergone bariatric (weight loss) surgery.

What does it involve?
The goal of Orbera is to take up space in your stomach, making it easier to eat less. During Orbera placement and for six months after removal, you will undergo a 12-month diet and behavior modification program designed help you change habits that promote obesity.

Orbera balloon placement takes place in your doctor’s office. You will be under sedation during the placement process. First, the doctor will insert an endoscope (a slender surgical instrument with a camera) down your throat to inspect your esophagus and stomach. The doctor will then gently insert the Orbera placement tube into your stomach and reinsert the endoscope. Once placed, the balloon is then filled with 400 to 700 cubic centimeters of saline. Once the balloon is filled with saline, the fill tube is disconnected and retrieved, and the endoscope is removed. Balloon placement takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

The Orbera balloon is designed to remain in the stomach for as long as six months. At the end of six months, the balloon will be accessed via endoscopy. You will be under sedation during the endoscopic removal process. During endoscopy, a slender surgical instrument will be inserted into the mouth and down the throat to the stomach. The balloon will be punctured and removed.

While Orbera is in place, you will need to take medication daily to control acid production in your stomach.

Recovery
Orbera balloon placement and removal are outpatient procedures.

Results
In a clinical study involving 255 people, those who used Orbera and followed a diet and behavior modification program lost an average of three times more weight than those who only followed the program.

Constraints
Orbera may not be effective for you.

Common side effects of the Orbera system include vomiting, nausea, a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, abdominal pain, and gastric reflux, heartburn, back pain, and diarrhea, most of which were temporary for many participants in the trial.

Rare but serious side effects of Orbera include stomach ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, and obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract requiring surgery.

Rarely, endoscopy can cause bleeding, bruising, swelling, or perforation of the esophagus.

You will need to change your lifestyle significantly during Orbera placement, and maintain these changes after Orbera removal to maintain your weight loss results.

If you lose a lot of weight quickly during Orbera placement, you may develop significant amounts of loose skin. Some people feel embarrassed about the way the loose skin looks, and some choose to have plastic surgery to remove it.

Depending on your diagnosis and what type of healthcare insurance plan you have, your plan may not cover all or any of the costs of Orbera.

For more details about this treatment, visit:
Orbera – Apollo Endosurgery
https://www.orbera.com/

Upper endoscopy – Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/end...