Novel gastric pacemaker implanted for the first time

First ever novel gastric pacemaker implanted for weight reduction in Germany

30.03.2011

Gastric pacemakers promise far-reaching success in the fight against obesity. By implanting only 65 grams heavy equipment, the feeling of hunger can be controlled and the weight can be significantly reduced.

In Germany, a novel gastric pacemaker (abiliti system) was implanted for the first time after completing the previous test phase. A 31-year-old woman with a body weight of 100 kilograms has been using the novel device in the size of a business card in the Stadtkrankenhaus Schwabach. The new system offers heavily overweight patients a treatment method that - without the typical side effects of other surgical procedures - significant weight reductions are possible, stressed the City Hospital Schwabach in a recent press release.

Gastric pacemaker: satiety through impulses to the stomach
The stomach pacemaker sends slight impulses to the stomach, through which a feeling of satiety already sets in early, explained the chief physician of the surgical department of the city hospital Schwabach, Dr. med. Thomas Horbach, who had performed the implantation at the 31-year-olds. In addition, the device detects according to the expert with the help of a sensor data for food and fluid intake and physical activities. In the accompanying medical treatment, the data can be read out at any time, so that not only food intake is reduced overall, but also the quality of the food and the movement behavior of the patients can be controlled and adjusted. Horbach. The gastric pacemaker is implanted on the patient's outer gastric wall, and those affected by the implant are not limited by the type of food they eat. However, they are encouraged by the accompanying treatment to a conscious diet and regular physical exercise, said the city hospital Schwabach.

Gastric pacemaker offers advantages over other surgical procedures
Germany is the second country in the world after Spain that uses the new surgical method to fight morbid obesity. At present, the novel gastric pacemakers approved in Germany since the beginning of the year are only offered in three clinics, the Stadtkrankenhaus Schwabach (Association of the Obesity Center Erlangen-Schwabach and the University Hospital Erlangen), the University Hospital Würzburg and the Wolfart Clinic in Munich. The chief physician of the surgical department in the city hospital Schwabach, Dr. med. According to Thomas Horbach, the gastric pacemaker offers a significant advantage over previous surgical methods for overweight, since „Methods such as gastric banding, gastric tube formation and gastric bypass (...) Although very effective treatments for obesity“ are, „however, partially irreversible in the anatomy of the digestive tract“ intervene and „often associated with side effects“ are. In addition, the novel gastric pacemaker could be implanted in a minimally invasive surgical procedure. Horbach.

New gastric pacemakers control nutrition and exercise behavior
However, critics doubt the success of the gastric pacemaker, especially in massive obesity with a body mass index (BMI) over 45. Because a weight loss of up to 30 percent, which was possible with the previous devices, hardly helps these strongly obese people. You would have to lose much more weight to reach normal weight. In addition, the health insurance in Germany take no cost for the implantation of the gastric pacemaker, so that the victims themselves have to pay for the procedure. The greatest advantage also see the critics in the novel gastric pacemaker in the possibility of long-term change in diet and exercise behavior. Because the simple, wireless transmission of the recorded data allows the treating physicians and patients themselves to always control the eating, drinking and activity patterns and adjust their weight loss strategies accordingly. (Fp)

Picture: Martin Büdenbender