Applications of Electrical Pacing in the Body

A new laparoscopic technique for weight reduction with implanted gastric banding basket

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, obesity is frequently an indication for implantation of an adjustable stomach or gastric band. Among the side effects, in addition to band erosion and port chamber complications, pouch dilation in the sense of increasing enlargement of the forestomach and resulting insufficiency of initial surgical measures consistently occurs. Implantation of a soft basket band will prevent this. The objective of this study was to investigate the practical feasibility of the soft basket band.

METHODS

Ten patients were investigated in an observation study over a period from November 2006 to June 2007. Seven patients were women and three patients were men, with an average age of 43.6 years (25-66 years).

RESULTS

The average body mass index (BMI) at the time of the operation was 47.4 +/- 5.5 kg/m(2), with an average body weight of 134.5 +/- 24.6 kg. After a median follow-up period of 1 month, an average BMI of 44.9 +/- 5.8 kg/m(2) was achieved, and after 3 months, an average BMI of 41.4 +/- 4.8 kg/m(2). The excessive weight loss was 7.4 +/- 4.3 kg after 1 month and 17.9 +/- 6.4 kg after 3 months. A local wound infection occurred as a complication in one patient.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopy procedures enable mortality to be lowered compared to bypass operations with minimal complications and substantial reduction of weight.

Looking to the future: electrical stimulation for obesity

Among all classes of therapies for morbid obesity-behavioral, drugs, devices, and surgery-devices for electrical stimulation are a relatively new approach. This article reviews the history of electrical therapies for the gastrointestinal tract with an emphasis on the development of stimulation for obesity. Based on similar animal work, electrical stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract has been applied to treat morbid obesity much in the way it has been used to treat nausea and vomiting. The current status of gastrointestinal electrical stimulation for the treatment of morbid obesity is reviewed, with an emphasis on human studies. The physics of electrical stimulation and the possible mechanism of stimulation in the gastrointestinal tract, including for the treatment of morbid obesity, are also discussed. Future work on stimulation for obesity offers the opportunity for better understanding of possible mechanisms of action.