Advancing Bariatric Strategies: Different Gastric Balloons in 2454 Patients

Intragastric balloons (IGB) have been used for more than 40 years to reduce weight in overweight and obese patients. The purpose of the current study will be to evaluate our case series regarding different types of IGB.

A total of 2454 patients who underwent IGB placement between 2002 and2022 were included in a retrospective single-center study. There were used in the majority of cases 3 types of IGB. The primary outcome of the current study was the evaluation of weight loss results at 6 and 12 months after IGB. The secondary outcome was the evaluation of the results between different approaches for the IGB placement: by endoscopy versus balloon placed without endoscopy; with adjuvant therapy (e.g., hypnosis) versus without.

Various intragastric devices were employed, including the Orbera® intragastric balloon for 6 months in 1290 cases (52.6%), Orbera 365® in 614 cases (25.1%), the Allurion® intragastric balloon in 508 cases (20.7%), and other devices in 42 cases (1.7%). We have recorded 22 cases (0.89%) with different types of complications as follows: 14 cases (63.6%) severe hypokalemia requiring hospitalization; 4 cases (18. %) of spontaneous balloon deflation; 2 patients (9.1%) who necessitated a laparoscopic surgery; 1 case (4.5%) of hyperinflation; 1 case (4.5%) of Mendelson syndrome. The percentage total body weight loss was 12.1% ± 5.2%. There were no major intra-procedure adverse events and no mortality recorded.

Recent advancements, such as the integration of robust multidisciplinary support-especially hypnotherapy-and the systematic application of ultrasound to reduce premature withdrawals, require validation through multicentric studies.