The Implantable Gastric Stimulator - Essay Example

IGS is also being increasingly used for the treatment of Gastroparesis. Obesity is fast bloating into epidemic proportions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Considering the prevalence of this condition, and the numerous health complications associated with excess weight gain, the need for its mitigation assumes a sense of emergency from public health point of view. Gastric Electric Stimulation (GES) is a novel and drastic method to tackle morbid obesity. This method provides a better alternative to the more invasive surgical procedures for treating morbid obesity.

It does not alter gastrointestinal anatomy and has been shown to be safe in hundreds of study patients worldwide. The first IGS procedure was successfully executed in 1995. Since then more than 700 implants have taken place in Europe and the USA with positive results (defeatdiabetes.org). Obesity can be and often is a pathological condition that is not very responsive to diet and exercise. A medical approach too can prove to be ineffective in many cases, unfortunately. When all other simpler methods have failed, surgery becomes the only option to lose weight and stop suffering from various obesity-related health problems, which can even be potentially fatal.

GES involves an i Obesity surgery is recommended in men suffering overweight by nearly or more than 100 pounds, and women overweight by 80 pounds, equivalent to a Body Mass Index of 40 (NIDDK 1). Several types of alternative procedures involved in traditional gastro-intestinal surgery result in weight loss either by restricting food intake or interrupting the digestive process. However, all these usual major surgical procedures (e.g., removal or blocking off of a portion of the stomach) have possible side-effects and risks.

GES is a relatively new surgical technique which avoids the drawbacks of the conventional bariatric surgery