Our endoscopic balloon therapy provides an excellent opportunity for a wide range of patients seeking to lose weight. But our program doesn’t stop there – the nonsurgical endoscopic procedure is part of a comprehensive, yearlong program to help ensure that the weight stays off.
Intragastric Balloon for Weight Loss
The intragastric balloon offers a temporary, nonsurgical endoscopic option for weight loss. The balloon takes up space in the stomach, helping people feel full faster and eat less food.
Treatment with the intragastric balloon is part of a one-year, medically supervised weight loss program including nutrition guidance and behavior coaching. Washington University physicians at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital have years of experience in clinical research helping people lose weight with balloon therapy.
Intragastric Balloon: The Procedure
Here’s how the intragastric balloon weight loss plan works:
Insertion: The physician places the balloon in your stomach using a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) with a tiny, lighted camera. The endoscope goes through your mouth and follows your esophagus down to your stomach. You will be under light anesthesia (conscious sedation) for the procedure.
Inflation: During the same outpatient procedure, the balloon is inflated by filling with a sterile saline solution to take up space in your stomach, helping you eat less food and feel full more quickly.
Weight loss with the balloon: The balloon remains in your stomach for six months, while you participate in monthly appointments that include nutrition support for weight loss and behavior coaching for lifestyle changes. Balloon therapy helps patients safely lose up to three times more weight than diet and exercise alone.
Removal: After six months, the physician deflates the balloon and removes the device using an endoscopic procedure through your mouth. You will receive anesthesia for the removal procedure.
Continued support: You continue your monthly appointments for six more months, for a total of 12 months in our lifestyle coaching program.
Watch these videos to find out more about how the intragastric balloon works:
What You Can Expect With The Intragastric Balloon
Although each person is different and may have different results, the experience for most people includes:
Significant weight loss results
People with a balloon device lost about 8 to 15 percent of their total body weight.
Short recovery
Most people can go back to work or similar activities about three days after their procedure. You may experience abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting for about one week. We provide medications to help with these symptoms.
Post-procedure diet
To help you adjust to the balloon, we recommend specific diet guidelines:
- Clear liquids for one to two days
- Pureed foods for seven to 10 days
- Transition to soft and regular foods as you feel comfortable
Follow-up visits
Balloon therapy includes office visits after the device is placed to monitor your progress and address any side effects such as nausea, discomfort, or heartburn.
- Our typical timeframe for ongoing visits is one, five, nine, 15, 25, 30, 38 and 52 week(s) (or as needed)
Commitment to lifestyle changes
To be successful in losing weight with a balloon device and keeping it off after the device is removed, you must commit to lifestyle changes. You may need to modify some of your behaviors and learn lifetime weight management skills, including:
- Staying within your calorie target from the registered dietitian, perhaps recording your food choices in a food log
- Eating healthy foods in smaller portion sizes
- Beginning to move and get regular physical activity
- Participating actively in the intensive lifestyle guidance program, which includes guidance from a behavior coach and taking an active role in identifying behaviors and strategies that you are willing to incorporate into your lifestyle to support weight loss
Financing for the Intragastric Balloon
Many health insurance plans don’t cover the cost of treatment with the intragastric balloon. We work with you and your insurer to determine what your plan will cover and what your out-of-pocket costs will be.
All costs must be paid before your procedure is scheduled. We offer prepaid packages that you can pay for out of pocket, with your tax-free health savings account (HSA) or with a third-party financing service. The package includes:
- Gastroenterology services for the procedures to place and remove the device
- Anesthesia services for conscious sedation during the procedures
- Twelve visits with a registered dietitian, within 12 months after the procedure
- Twelve monthly behavior coaching sessions, in person or via a secure, HIPAA-compliant, online interactive program, within 12 months after the procedure
- Care for any procedure-related complications that may develop
Please note that certain services may not be included in the package and that the prepaid package details are subject to change. Our program coordinator will discuss all of these options with you at the information session.
Other Procedures for Weight Loss
Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital offer a full range of options for weight loss, including nonsurgical endoscopic and surgical procedures. Our options include:
Surgical Weight Loss Procedures: If you are interested in having a surgical weight loss procedure, you must first attend Bariatric surgery information session. A Washington University physician will discuss our procedures and explain eligibility.
Contact Us for Weight Loss Treatment
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a bariatric endoscopy physician, please call toll-free at 844-542-9378.
Referring physicians can call the BJC Transfer Center at 800.252.DOCS (3627) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also visit our referring physicians page.
OFFICE LOCATION AT BARNES-JEWISH WEST COUNTY HOSPITAL
Washington University Bariatric Endoscopic Therapy
Medical Office Building 4
1044 N. Mason Road, Suite 330
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
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OFFICE LOCATION AT BARNES-JEWISH HOSPITAL
Washington University Bariatric Endoscopic Therapy
Center for Advanced Medicine
4921 Parkview Place, Suite 10B
St. Louis, MO 63110
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