Has the medical world gone completely insane? A new medical device called 鈥淎spireAssist鈥� to treat obesity has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.
Its approval is being studied by Health sa国际传媒. The British Medical Journal reported: 鈥淎spireAssist surely marks the end of civilization as we know it.鈥�
The device allows obese people to eat a meal, then half an hour later physically remove one-third of it.
In an endoscopic surgical procedure, doctors insert a pencil-sized tube into the stomach. Following the meal, a pump is attached to the tube and the contents of the stomach emptied into the toilet. Hardly a civilized way to spend your spare time.
AspireAssist is recommended for those older than 22 who are significantly overweight. The FDA reports that of 111 patients treated with AspireAssist along with lifestyle therapy, weight loss was 12.1 per cent after one year. So a 200-pound person would lose 25 pounds. This is not a significant amount when other safe methods are available.
I hope readers instantly realize the hazard of a permanent tube connecting the stomach to the outside world. Some have reported a range of problems, such as constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and indigestion.
As with any surgical procedure, complications are possible. Some patients complained of sore throat, abdominal bloating, bleeding, infection and breathing problems. Others developed inflammation of the lining of the abdomen, sores on the inside of the stomach and pneumonia. Even a death was reported.
Also, the tubal opening of the abdomen poses risks such as pain, inflammation of skin, leakage around the tube, bleeding, infection and migration of the tube into the abdominal wall. Some tubes had to be removed, which increases the risk of a permanent fistula (opening) between the stomach and the outside.
Then there are ongoing costs of doctor visits to monitor the device. AspireAssist stops working after about five to six weeks, so patients must return for a replacement. All this trouble to lose 25 pounds.
Faced with this number of adverse events in just 111 patients, one questions why the FDA would approve this device, which costs $13,000 US plus the costs of complications. It boggles the mind.
So is there a valid reason why the FDA would approve this drastic method of treating obesity?
Today, it鈥檚 true that an unprecedented epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart attack is a societal tragedy. But inserting a tube through the abdominal wall, followed by a 30-minute suction of stomach contents?
I hope that most obese people think twice before resorting to this uncivilized and dangerous method of fighting weight gain.
