The Department of Health (DOH) has approved the use of an intragastric balloon treatment, giving new hope in the fight against obesity.
The treatment consists of inserting a soft, expandable balloon made of a pliable silicone material into the stomach through a tube in the mouth.
Once inside the stomach, the balloon is immediately filled with a sterile saline solution through a small catheter. The catheter is then removed.
The balloon floats in the stomach and gives the patient a feeling of partial fullness, thus reducing appetite. After six months, the patient returns to have the balloon removed.
Liao Chi-chou (
Hsiao Tun-jen (蕭敦仁), the doctor who introduced the intragastric balloon treatment to Taiwan in cooperation with Min Shen General Hospital in Taoyuan City, says the treatment has proven its effectiveness in helping obese patients lose weight.
Between August last year and August this year, Hsiao and the hospital conducted clinical trials on 12 patients suffering from morbid obesity or for whom other treatments for obesity had proven ineffective.
According to their test results, the treatment helped the patients lose an average of 12 percent of their total body weight.
Hsiao said the treatment offers an alternative to patients who may be wary of undergoing surgery.
He added that the side effects of the treatment, including, nausea, acid reflux and mild pain in the upper stomach, can be controlled with medication.
Furthermore, he said, the treatment is reversible, so patients who find they cannot live with the device can have the balloon removed without any ill effects.
Although the DOH has approved the intragastric balloon treatment for certain categories of obese patients, the treatment is not covered by the national health insurance scheme. Therefore patients opting for the treatment will have to cover the full cost, to the tune of approximately NT$120,000.
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