Results with Gastric Stimulation

Gastric stimulation is still very much in its infancy and tests are still being run in many countries.  It has been tested in Europe and Canada and there have been many trials in the USA.  The general conclusion is that the procedure is effective in contributing to weight loss but it does not seem as effective as many of the other weight loss surgeries. It is still very much the newest of procedures in the field of bariatric surgeries and therefore there are less surgeons experienced in this procedure.  The first devices were fitted in the early nineties and trials have continued ever since, involving generally small numbers of patients.  The results have shown that gastric stimulation is effective in weight loss, however the weight loss is not typically as significant as some other weight loss surgeries such as gastric bypass. 

It is hard to get a big overall picture of this procedure as it is so new, however tests have show it to be effective in aiding obese patients lose weight.  It was reported that in some tests around 80% of patients lost weight.  The procedure basically works by making patients feel full with less food.  Tests and trials have shown the procedure to be generally safe with few complications.  However the lack of long-term results has meant that there is some caution by medical boards to approve the treatment for obesity.  


Is Gastric Stimulation for me?

As the procedure is still very new, not every obese patient is willing to give such a new surgery a go.  The procedure is also only available privately so some obese patients who wish to have their weight loss surgery on the NHS do not opt for this procedure.  The criteria for gastric stimulation is similar to other weight loss surgeries, such as having a BMI over 40 and showing you have made a commitment to losing weight via exercise and diet.  There are some exclusions for the treatment however, such as:

  • If you already have a cardiac pacemaker fitted
  • If you have chronic diabetes
  • If you are pregnant
  • If you have already had some type of other weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass
  • If you have a history of heart disease

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