Low-cost gastric balloons should be avoided: Expert
ISTANBUL
With gastric balloon weight loss procedure becoming a more popular way to have a slimmer figure, an expert warns about the grave implications of balloons made with low-cost materials as they can result in the death of a person.
People who want a slimmer body have recently resorted to gastric balloons for effortless weight loss, even though the procedure might cause severe complications.
General Surgeon Ali Kağan Gökakın pointed out the importance of the materials used in swallowable or intragastric balloon applications and emphasized that patients should especially be careful of balloons made in China.
“Chinese products should definitely be avoided, as those gastric balloons usually do not have FDA approval. The procedure starts from around 35,000 to 40,000 Turkish Liras. If your physician tells you that they are willing to perform an operation for below this figure, be skeptical, be sure to ask your doctor about the origins of the material,” Gökakın warned.
The professor stated that since no serious research has been done on the swallowable gastric balloon and its health effects have not been fully determined, the risks are more common in them.
Gökakın pointed out that there is an explosion in the number of patients who want to get the procedure done, especially as summer is approaching because it is possible to lose up to 8 kilograms per month with a gastric balloon.
“However, it is better to make peace with your weight than to have a low-cost gastric balloon,” he suggested.
Noting that patients’ fear of complications in bariatric surgeries is also a factor contributing to the increase in demand for gastric balloon procedures, Gökakın said that this procedure is mostly preferred by those patients who do not respond to diet or medications and that they should make sure that their doctors are using FDA-approved balloons.
