Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

Some people need to lose a lot of weight to be healthy, but for many, diets haven’t worked and bariatric surgery seems too big a step. This population is the target of a newly approved, nonsurgical therapy being performed by Washington University physicians at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. The therapy involves placing special balloons into the stomach and inflating them to give patients the feeling of being full after eating small meals. The balloons are inserted with an endoscope that is guided into the stomach through the patient’s mouth. The strategy is a substitute for gastric bypass and other surgical procedures. ONE COMMON STRATEGY FOR ASSISTING WEIGHT LOSS IS TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE A PATIENT FEEL FULL. THAT COULD INVOLVE DRINKING LOTS OF WATER, OR IT COULD INVOLVE SURGERY TO MAKE THE STOMACH SMALLER SO THAT IT FILLS UP MORE QUICKLY. NOW WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PHYSICIANS AT BARNES-JEWISH WEST COUNTY HOSPITAL IN ST. LOUIS HAVE BEGUN INSERTING BALLOONS INTO THE STOMACHS OF PEOPLE WITH EXCESS WEIGHT