With Karol Gutowski MD

At hot topics, we got a great conversation presentation on the Obalon intragastric balloon for weight loss. Pretty simply, these are 3 balloons about 250 ML each which are placed like swallowing the pill. They go into to the stomach, you check to make sure it’s the right place using fluoroscopy, and then they’re inflated, with a gas to the right volume and then over a period for a few weeks to months, there’s weight loss because people feel full faster. Now these balloons are placed one at a time at least two weeks apart and studies have shown compared to a placebo that the weight loss can be between 5 and 10 percent of your body weight which is pretty good. They’re not meant to be permanent, they are removed within an endoscope after six months.