I’ve always maintained that patients who struggle with their weight and suffer from obesity need to be informed and know what suitable options exist to manage their weight.

Gastric Balloons are not placed by that many bariatric surgeons, so some patients in whom this might actually be a very reasonable option, it never gets offered to. Vice versa, some patients who want a balloon but are more suitable for a surgical procedure might not have it discussed with them by a balloon only doctor. This highlights the importance of what I do - I educate and give patients options and potential solutions. My experience is providing good education helps patients to make the best decisions.

About Balloons

The weight-loss industry is a big one, and as you can imagine, there are many who want a piece of the pie. Gastric balloons came about because a weight-loss procedure was needed for patients who didn’t qualify for bariatric surgery in the USA, where health insurance companies partially dictate health care. Wrongly so in my opinion.

If we look at the history of weight-loss procedures in Australia, with the lap band for example, hundreds of thousands were placed, many by surgeons who were not necessarily bariatric surgeons. The result was many patients who were probably not ideally suitable for the lap band, ended up getting one. Hence, the artificially inflated “failure rate” that we see, and the lap band gets a bad name for itself.

We are seeing history repeat itself with the gastric sleeve. I have also seen it partially happen with the gastric balloon, with endoscopically placed versions having been available for a number of years. My experience of endoscopic balloons is that it is a real mixed bag with some doing well and others not so much, usually because they weren’t quite prepared for the nausea that they experience. But this also comes down to whoever placed the balloon for them and what was explained prior.

Weight-loss patients are unique

The weight-loss procedure industry is unique because many patients like to look up what they THINK they would like, then find someone to do it for them. The usual way medical things work is people see their GP and get a referral to a specialist for a particular problem, and the specialist suggests a treatment.

So what would happen if someone thought a balloon is what they needed, and they went to see someone who ONLY offered gastric balloons, but actually were an ideal candidate who would achieve better results from a gastric bypass? More than likely, the person would end up getting a balloon because nothing else would be offered, but then they would be more likely to get a poor result, have problems or if they did get a good initial result, be more likely to regain weight again.

This is the IMPORTANCE of choosing your specialist carefully. Choosing someone who is able to assess you as an individual, offers a range of treatments and is able to tailor what is best for you, versus someone who is wanting their piece of the pie.

So why Allurion?

The Allurion Program was something that really excited me once I looked into it more and requested a meeting with the Allurion team. 

First of all - not any clinic or practitioner is able to offer the Allurion Program. You have to be approved to offer their Program, based on the model of care that your clinic offers. They don’t want a practitioner who wants a piece of the pie to be sticking them in anyone and not supporting the patients. With other balloons, the companies want you to place them and don’t regulate who can place them therefore the variability in results and failure rates naturally will be higher. This was the first big tick.

My experience with endoscopic balloons was that patients were often not as motivated, they didn’t attend follow-up and were after a quick fix. The intolerance rates were high, and when patients had to have the balloon removed early they often didn’t come back for their appointments.  The Allurion Balloon and Program introduced an element of patient accountability. Second tick.

The accountability comes in the form of the Virtual Care Suite, which is a set of smart scales, a smart watch health tracker that monitors activity and sleep, and an app that links their devices to our clinic for us to monitor patient’s weight loss, activity and sleep, as well as communicate with them. All from outside of the clinic. This modern ability is what sets the Allurion Balloon apart. Also the fact that the balloon it is much softer and better tolerated than other balloons.

A company with values aligned with ours

I have met the brains of the organisation at a training course, including Dr Ram Chattani, the former Harvard Professor in Gastroenterology who helped to develop the balloon. His ongoing dedication to the safety, performance of the product and also the ethics in which the product is offered impressed me.

There is a list of guidelines to be followed which ensures consistency and results in the performance of the balloon (This is how BGOS works also functions). If any of the balloons ever malfunction, they do everything they can to get the balloon and have it sent back to HQ for analysis to find out why it happened and then they improve on the product. This ongoing “audit” process is another aspect that matches exactly what we do at BGOS.

The support that Allurion have provided so far in getting set up, has also been phenomenal.

I am confident that Allurion coming to Brisbane General & Obesity Surgery is not only going to allow us to help more patients combat weight-struggles and obesity, but what we are already learning from integrating the care model into what we already do, is going to make us better all-round, as a clinic in helping patients to improve their health.

We will be running our first FREE Allurion Information Seminar on January 18th, 2023 and they will be run monthly as a webinar, for anyone who would like to learn more about how it might be able to help them, completely obligation free.

This article represents the authors opinions and is a commentary based on the author’s experience as a bariatric surgeon in Australia. It has not been sponsored by any third part or Allurion.