INTRAGASTRIC BALLOON: FOR WHOM IS IT INDICATED?
Treatment with an intragastric balloon is indicated in patients who are moderately overweight and have not successfully reduced their weight with supervised hyper-caloric diets and are in all of the grades of obesity. It is a great alternative for those patients with morbid obesity that reject surgery and also as preventative treatment for people considered high risk for a major surgery, reducing the risks associated. However, it should not be used in patients who have coagulation disorders or who are on medications that encourage haemorrhaging, nor in those patients with a pathology present in the digestive tract that could complicate the procedure. It should also not be used in cases with heart disease, psychiatric disorders or alterations in eating conducts (bulimia, compulsive eating).