title: A case of asymptomatic fungal and bacterial colonization of an intragastric balloon.
abstract: Intragastric balloon therapy, as a part of a multidisciplinary weight management program, is an effective short-term intervention for weight loss. Although the insertion procedure is easy and generally well tolerated by patients, a few complications can occur. We report here a heavy smoker with intragastric balloon insertion complicated by colonization with opportunistic organisms. The 27-year-old female, body mass index 35.5 kg/m(2), had a BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon inserted under conscious sedation without any perioperative complications. Six months later, when the standard removal time arrived, the balloon was seen to be covered with a necrotic white-gray material. Microbiological examination revealed Enterobacter cloacae and Candida species yeast colonies. We recommend that asymptomatic fungal and/or bacterial colonization should be considered among the complications of the intragastric balloon procedure, despite its rarity.
authors: Department of General Surgery, Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. halilcoskun@gmail.com
authors: Halil
authors: H
authors: Coskun
authors: Suleyman
authors: S
authors: Bozkurt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002175:Candida / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D015905:Gastric Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery; D012907:Smoking; D016896:Treatment Outcome