Orbera: An FDA-Approved Intragastric Balloon to Treat Obesity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third (34.9 percent, or 76 million) of U.S. adults are obese.

Obesity can lead to serious health problems and cause related issues like heart disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers.

The answer may be simple... to just lose weight. However, that's a lot easier said than done.

For many, the weight loss journey leaves patients with little support or options in the gap between diet, exercise and surgery.

The latest FDA-approved intragastric balloon, Orbera, is a non-surgical option for adults with a BMI of 30 to 40 who are not appropriate for or considering traditional surgery, but for whom diet and exercise or pharmaceutical interventions have not worked.

Orbera is the only balloon currently approved in the U.S. to have more than 20 years of global experience with real-world results. Data on Orbera collected in a U.S. clinical trial has shown that Orbera users lost 3.1 times more weight when compared to diet and exercise alone within six months.

Carson Liu, MD, FACS, discusses Orbera and who would be a candidate for this type of balloon.