Intragastric balloon in ethnic obese Chinese: initial experience.
BACKGROUND
We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of intragastric balloon (IGB) for the treatment of obesity in ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong.


METHODS
15 Chinese patients (10 females; median age 40 years (range 21-58)) completed IGB treatment over a 10-month period since November 2004. Median baseline body weight (BW) and BMI were 100.1 (range 78.5-170.3) kg and 39.4 (range 29.6-56.9) kg/m2 respectively. Coexistent obesity-related morbidities were present in 80% of patients. The Bioenterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB) was employed, and all placement and removal were performed endoscopically under intravenous conscious sedation. A restricted balanced diet (approximately 1200 kcal/day) and 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity exercise were prescribed after balloon placement in a multidisciplinary approach. Outcome measures were collected and assessed in a prospective manner.


RESULTS
Median procedure time was 25 (range 19-45) minutes and median hospital stay was 2 (range 1-6) days. Median BW and BMI loss were 15.3 (range 5.3-30.9) kg and 5.6 (range 1.9-12.5) kg/m2 after IGB. The median waist circumference (WC) loss was 9 (range 4-23) cm, and 66.7% of patients were highly satisfied with the treatment. No serious complication related to IGB was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
IGB is a safe and effective device that achieves moderate weight loss in obese ethnic Chinese patients.
Mui
Wilfred Lik-Man
WL
Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
So
Wing-Yee
WY
Yau
Phyllis Yin-Ping
PY
Lam
Chuen Hing
CH
Yung
Man Yee
MY
Cheng
Angela Yuen-Shan
AY
Chow
Francis Chun Chung
FC
Ng
Enders Kwok-Wai
EK
D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D015905:Gastric Balloon; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000208:ethnology / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies