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UCI Health now offers multiple new non-surgical weight loss treatments

Recently-approved Orbera™ Intragastric Balloon reduces stomach capacity

August 07, 2015

Obese patients seeking non-surgical weight loss treatments now have multiple options, as UCI Health will offer the newly approved Orbera™ Intragastric Balloon. Designed to assist adults with a body mass index of 30 to 40 in losing and maintaining weight, the balloon fills space in a patient’s stomach to reinforce proper portion control. It received FDA approval on Aug. 5.

UCI Health also offers the ReShape™ Integrated Dual Balloon System, which received FDA approval in July.

“We are pleased that patients now have another treatment that does not require surgery to assist them in losing weight in a managed and responsible way,” said Dr. Kenneth Chang, chief of the UCI Health Division of Gastroenterology and executive director of the H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center. “Obesity is a disease that often requires direct medical intervention to help patients regain control of their lives. Many have tried diet and exercise or do not have a high enough BMI to qualify for surgery. The gastric balloon treatments we offer fill that gap.”

Patients undergo a 20- to 30-minute non-surgical procedure under a mild sedative. The thin and deflated Orbera balloon is inserted by an endoscope and placed into the stomach, where it’s filled with saline until about the size of a grapefruit. Patient can usually go home the same day. At six months, the balloon is deflated and then removed by an endoscope.

The Orbera system has been available in more than 80 countries. According to manufacturer Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., 155 obese patients participated in a randomized, multicenter U.S. clinical trial prior to FDA approval. About half the patients received treatment, which consisted of Orbera™ balloon placement followed by removal after six months, plus regular office visits continuing through one year. They also participated in a 12-month behavioral modification program.

The other half participated in the 12-month behavioral modification program alone. Findings include:

  • At month six, the Orbera group achieved a mean of 38.4 percent Excess Weight Loss (EWL).
  • Mean Total Body Weight Loss (TBWL) at six months was 10.2 percent for the treatment group compared to 3.3 percent TBWL for the control group.
  • The Orbera group lost 3.1 times as much weight as the control group at six months.

Call UCI Health Bariatric Surgery Services at 888-717-4463 to see if the Orbera system is right for you.

UCI Health comprises the clinical, medical education and research enterprises of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at physician offices throughout Orange County and at its main campus, UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., a 411-bed acute care hospital that provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation. U.S. News & World Report has listed it among America’s Best Hospitals for 15 consecutive years. UC Irvine Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program, Level I trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center, and is the primary teaching hospital for UC Irvine School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of more than 3 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the University of California, Irvine: Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.