Intragastric Balloon (Malaysia) In-Depth Guide

Did you know there is a kind of balloon that works wonders to help people to lose weight?

Yes, there is such a balloon that exists in the world.

It is known as the intragastric balloon.

The intragastric balloon is not the conventional balloon that kids love. It is a kind of balloon designed for medical usage. Technically, it is edible but indigestible.

It is silicon-made and usually filled with 500ml to 700ml of 0.9% strength sodium chloride solution (basically salt solution). The outlook of it is the same as a balloon. It’s round and smooth but much more durable.

The function of an intragastric balloon is to occupy the space of our stomach. As such, it curbs our appetite from eating more than we should.

So, why do we need it?

The Purpose Of Intragastric Balloon

This intragastric balloon helps us to lose weight.

There are many ways to lose weight, such as exercising regularly or controlling our dietary intake. Yet, most people would surrender to the delicious food in Malaysia.

It’s undeniable that we don’t seem to need a balloon to help us lose weight. That’s why this medical solution is not for everyone.

The difference between having an intragastric balloon in the stomach is it forces one to form a healthy habit. As only doctors are the ones that could insert it into your stomach.

One can’t remove the intragastric balloon voluntarily for six months.

With the help of it, he/she is unlikely to relapse into unhealthy eating habits. It is perfect for people who lack self-discipline and ensure the process is smooth. Also, one feels less hungry, and it regulates the hormone as well.

Then, who can opt for this medical solution?

Who Needs Intervention?

Many people might feel like they seem to need this as they want to look perfect. No, this is not for someone who wants to look nice.

The intervention is for people who are:

Chronically obese

The definition of being chronically obese depends on our body mass index (BMI). The formula for calculating our BMI is to divide our weight by our height.

If we are between 18.5 and 24.9, it is considered normal. If we are between 25.9 and 29.9, it is overweight. A BMI of 30 or over is considered obese.

Chronically obese falls under a BMI of 30 or over. People who are under this category should consider this medical solution for the sake of their health.

Overweight with health conditions

Anyone who is overweight and with two obesity-related health conditions. Such as diabetes and heart disease.

Doctors would recommend considering whether they need an intragastric balloon installation.

Someone who needs to lose weight for another surgery in a short time

There would be an occasion when a person needed to go through surgery. Yet, they might be at risk or not at their ideal weight to do so.

Let us take this as an example, organ donation. An organ donor is compatible with the receiver for the operation. But, they might need to lose a little more weight to be the donor.

For that, the donor might need to lose weight in a shorter time. Then, an intragastric balloon would be a good option for it.

An intragastric balloon is suitable for those who are at least 18 years old. But, BMI and current health conditions would be a better gauge to decide whether we need it or not.

The Intragastric Balloon Procedure

The entire procedure is not intrusive as there is no cutting or incision involved. To keep it simple, it’s like how we do our annual body check-up.

For example, some people would do an endoscopic procedure for their stomach.

The endoscopic procedure requires mild sedation for the doctor to insert a soft tube into the stomach. During sedation, the doctor would insert the soft tube into the mouth and through the oesophagus. It reaches the stomach in the end.

At the end of the tube, an intragastric balloon will be present. Similar to a stomach check-up, there is a camera at the end of the endoscope. The doctor uses it to coordinate the placement of the balloon.

As the intragastric balloon lands in the stomach, the doctor will start injecting the salt solution into the balloon. The entire procedure is roughly 30 minutes.

After the procedure, one will be under close monitoring by the hospital staff. That’s about it for the entire process. One can go home on the same day.

The Aftermath Of The Procedure

There are guidelines that a patient needs to follow. One of them is diet arrangement, with the intragastric balloon in the stomach.

The diet arrangement will go like this:

A small amount of liquid intake 6 hours after the procedure.
Take on a clear liquid diet until the second week.
In the third week, a soft diet.
A regular diet is allowed in the fourth week.

Clear liquid diet – water, soups or gelatin

Soft diet – smashed potato (basically food that doesn’t require chewing)

Then, you will meet up with a nutritionist to plan out your meal. With the help of a nutritionist, the process of recovery would be less confusing.

After six months, you will meet up with your doctor again to remove the intragastric balloon.

The Benefits Of Having An Intragastric Balloon

The biggest perk of having an intragastric balloon is to lower the risk of getting weight-related health issues such as:

Heart disease
Stroke
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Sleep apnea (snoring)
High blood sugar (diabetes)

Another perk is to accelerate the weight loss journey and guarantee some progress from it. Losing weight is difficult and time-consuming. It needs persistence and strong discipline to do it.

If one has been obese for a long time and tried all ways to lose weight yet failed, an intragastric balloon definitely can jump-start the journey. As part of the stomach is occupied by the balloon, food consumption will be reduced for sure.

Based on the previous studies, the average weight loss after the first three months is between 10.5 and 13.7 kg. After six months of the intragastric balloon implantation, the weight loss is between 12 and 26.3kg. The achieved weight loss was sustained to a certain extent after the balloon removal.

The procedure is performed regularly in Europe and America. In recent years, there is more Malaysian choosing weight loss surgery to get out of obesity.

Studies showed a decreased rate of blood sugar and cholesterol level. See below:

Blood sugar level (Type 2 diabetes mellitus)

Before the balloon insertion — 32.6%
At the time of removal — 20.9%
At the 6th month follow-up — 22.5%
At 1-year follow-up — 21.3%

High cholesterol level (HyperTG and hypercholesterolaemia)

Before the balloon insertion — 33.4%
At the time of removal — 16.7%
At the 6th month follow-up — 16.7%
At 1-year follow-up — 18.9%

From the study, we know that gastric balloon at some points has improved metabolic diseases in general. The efficacy of using an intragastric balloon in the treatment of obesity is visible.

As Malaysia is a food haven, the new normal of working from home is no help for our lifestyle. Slowly, a high obesity rate would soon be the new normal if we choose to not do anything about it.

Intragastric Balloon Side Effects

Everything comes with a risk, and so does the intragastric balloon procedure. The most common one is abdominal discomfort, acid reflux and nausea. It affects 33% of the patients who undergo the intragastric balloon procedure.

However, these symptoms are curable by oral medication, and the symptoms are not worrisome.

There is a possibility that random intragastric balloon deflation might happen. But, studies showed that so far, it only happens to 6% of the patients. Despite the balloon might deflate and affect the position of the balloon. There are no studies showing that if the balloon is deflated, it will move around to other places of your body at the same time.

There are serious complications that might occur. These complications are gastric ulcer, rupture of the stomach (in patients with previous stomach surgery) or bowel obstructions. However, the chances of it happening is low.

In short, it is safe to go through this medical procedure.

Intragastric Balloon In Malaysia- How Much?

There are two types of gastric balloons:

Spatz Balloon

The doctor will insert the Spatz balloon through endoscopy under deep sedation. It costs around RM12,000 to insert. Then, for the removal, the doctor will retrieve it via endoscopy. Then, it will cost another RM3,000 – RM4,000 to remove it.

The Spatz balloon is adjustable. By injecting more fluid inside, again, this procedure will require endoscopy for the adjustment. Moreover, this balloon can last for a year.

Others

The other type of balloon is a non-intrusive alternative. The medical procedure for this does not require sedation. It costs around RM13,800 to insert.

For this, the patient will swallow the balloon (awake). Then, the balloon will collapse and come out naturally. However, this balloon will only last for four months.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, Malaysia has the crown title of being the fattest country in Southeast Asia. The national rate of obesity is 30.6% which indicated that one-third of the population is obese.

Obesity is a significant medical condition that affects our health. The other weight-related disease that comes along, is life-threatening. We should take our health seriously and consult a doctor.

The intragastric balloon is a safe medical tool and is widely used globally. It is a simple medical procedure that does not require cutting. The recovery is faster compared with other medical procedures. Based on the data provided, the intragastric balloon shows some results in moderating the health status of obese patients. In short, it secures their quality of life.

Book an appointment with me if you would like to find out more about this.