Enterra Therapy System Shocking Weight Loss Solution
The world of weight loss is quickly approaching a brick wall. Every week, there are new and exciting updates about medications and procedures that can serve dieters lose weight with itsy-bitsy or no dietary or spend changes. The medical industry has a immense monetary stake in weight loss solutions, especially those that require medical intervention. The Enterra Therapy System, commonly used to fight excessive weight loss due to Gastroparesis, may be the next big weight loss solution.
The Enterra Therapy System involves implanting a lead in the abdomen that delivers electric impulses to the stomach. For Gastroparesis patients, the electrical impulses help the stomach empty contents more quickly. Slow digestion and delaying stomach emptying represent the condition. In terms of weight loss, decreasing the time it takes for food to pass through the stomach could have a gastric bypass surgery type effect.
In a peek completed in 2003 by Abell, 24 patients with the Enterra Therapy System implant averaged weight gain of 5.5%. These results squawk the use of the electrical stimulation for weight loss purposes. Despite the weight gain finish MedtronicNeuro, a leader in medical technology, completed a study in February 2009 testing the effects of the Enterra Therapy System on weight loss. No results were published regarding the effects of the gastric stimulation on morbidly obese patients and MedtronicNeuro only offers the Enterra Therapy System for patients with Gastroparesis on the official website.
Another glimpse referenced by Aetna, suggests there is some benefit to using the system on obese patients. According to study information, between August 2005 and January 2006, four patients were implanted with the electrical lead. Patients were to be followed for six months with check-ups at one, two, three and six month markers. Two of the participants were removed from the perceive for different reasons. Of the remaining two participants, one lost a significant amount of weight while the other lost none. The patient that benefited from gastric stimulation lost 108 pounds (49 kilograms) in six months. A second completed study showed no mean weight loss inequity between a control group and active treatment group.
Manufacturers of the Enterra Therapy System acquire larger scale studies are needed to objectively establish a potential weight loss baseline. If the Enterra Therapy System were to be approved for weight loss efforts Medtronic, the manufacturer of the equipment, could see a huge spike in sales. The lead is implanted laparoscopically with minimal invasion as opposed to gastric bypass and banding surgeries, which carry a long list of potential side effects and complications.
“Study of Weight Loss Using Gastric Stimulation in Obese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes – Full Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov.” Home – ClinicalTrials.gov. Web. 29 June 2010.
“Gastric Pacing and Gastric Electrical Stimulation.” Aetna Health Insurance, Dental, Pharmacy, Group Life and Disability Insur. Web. 29 June 2010.
“Gastric Electrical Stimulation Can Provide Relief from Symptoms of Gastroparesis.” Medtronic, the World Leader in Medical Technology and Pioneering Therapies. Web. 29 June 2010.
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