About the Procedure
The gastric balloon procedure is an alternative to invasive bariatric surgery and if offered to patients with 30% – 40% BMI who may not otherwise qualify for traditional weight-loss surgery. The balloon is placed into the stomach in a simple, non-surgical outpatient procedure.
First, a diagnostic endoscopy is done to ensure that there are no contraindications and that it is safe to perform the procedure. Once you are mildly sedated and comfortable, the procedure can begin.
The deflated gastric balloon is inserted through the esophagus and into your stomach. A syringe is then used to fill the balloon with a sterile saline solution. Once the weight loss balloon has been filled with saline it is about the size of a grapefruit. The entire procedure takes about 20-30 minutes. After roughly two hours of recovery, most patients head home to begin the rest of their new life.
UBMD Surgery physicians are performing the Gastric Balloon procedure out of Buffalo General Medical Center.
