The Saint-François-Elsan clinic in Châteauroux is innovating in the fight against obesity and overweight. The establishment, which already offers treatment by surgery (sleeve or bypass) or by medical monitoring (personalized support), completes its offer by now offering the installation of gastric balloons.
The principle ? “Under the medical supervision of Dr. Murgu, visceral and digestive surgeon, the patient swallows a capsule the size of a large tablet and connected to a catheter. Once the capsule is correctly positioned in the stomach, under radiographic control, half a liter of a liquid close to physiological serum is injected into it to give it the shape of a balloon. explains the clinic in a press release. The whole thing takes about fifteen minutes.
The balloon will clear itself after four months.
Once in place, the balloon fills part of the stomach, which has the effect of reducing hunger and achieving a feeling of satiety more quickly. It will remain in place for four months. ”This device comes with a complete personalized program for rapid and long-term weight loss. It helps patients change their lifestyle and develop new, healthier habits.” At the end of four months, the balloon empties on its own and is eliminated naturally.
This process, proposed for the first time in the Indre department, is intended “innovative”: it has the advantage of not “not be intrusive and do not require any surgery, endoscopy or anesthesia. It actually combines a medical, nutritional and digital approach.” In Saint-François, the installation and monitoring of the gastric balloon are provided by Dr. Murgu and his multidisciplinary team in the day hospital (composed of a dietician-nutritionist, a state-registered nurse, a psychologist, and a physiotherapist).
The clinic sees this as a “less invasive alternative to traditional surgical procedures”, but also a “solution for patients who could not benefit from these techniques.” According to Allurion, the manufacturer of this technology, the gastric balloon would allow a “reduction of 10 to 15% of total weight in approximately four months and maintenance of the loss up to 96% on average one year after the elimination of the balloon” (1).
(1) In rare cases, the manufacturer specifies, the Allurion balloon may require endoscopic or surgical intervention for removal.
in numbers
> Overweight and obesity are defined based on the body mass index (or BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight by a person’s height squared. Overweight is defined by a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m²; obesity by a BMI equal to or greater than 30 kg/m².
> According to the High Authority for Health, 17% of adults are obese in France. By including overweight, this prevalence increases to 49%, which means that nearly one in two French people are affected by obesity or overweight.
