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.
Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Wilfred Lik-Man
WL
Mui
Wing-Yee
WY
So
Phyllis Yin-Ping
PY
Yau
Chuen Hing
CH
Lam
Man Yee
MY
Yung
Angela Yuen-Shan
AY
Cheng
Francis Chun Chung
FC
Chow
Enders Kwok-Wai
EK
Ng
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