In a historic day in the battle against obesity, Dr. Shawn Garber has successfully implanted the very first Orbera intragastric balloon in the Northeast since FDA approval. Although this procedure has had international success for over 20 years with dramatic weight loss results, the Orbera Gastric Balloon has only just been approved for use in the U.S. by the FDA in the last several weeks.
As one of the first surgeons trained in the procedure in the entire U.S., Dr. Garber is happy to be able to provide this non surgical option to his patients. The placement of the intragastric balloon is part of a 12 month weight loss program. In the 12 month Orbera ® program, the patient will have consultations with Dr. Garber as well as his team of weight loss professionals including specially trained physician assistants, registered dietitians and psychologists. Support programs are also included to assure long lasting success.
Dr. Garber explains the procedure:
“The Orbera ® Managed Weight Loss Program is a new option for patients in the U.S., who are not appropriate for or considering invasive surgery, but for whom diet & exercise or pharmaceutical interventions have not worked. The Orbera ® device itself is a soft, silicone intragastric balloon that is inserted non-surgically in a deflated state into the stomach and then inflated with sterile saline solution through a self-sealing valve once it enters the stomach. The intragastric balloon will remain in place for a maximum of six months. During that six month period the patient will enjoy a feeling of fullness sooner and satiety will last longer after meals, which encourages portion control and helps manage hunger.”
The procedure was performed in the office under light sedation and took approximately 15 minutes. The patient was able to leave the office 30 minutes later. The patient stated “I feel full” after the procedure. Obesity affects more than 78.6 million U.S. adults and is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the U.S. It is one of the most pervasive chronic diseases and increases the risk of healt
