gastric balloon

Gastric Balloon



The Gastric Balloon is a revolutionary and simple way to lose weight and change your relationship with food forever. Many patients have lost a significant amount of weight working with a gastric balloon and the NOSC Gastric Balloon Support Programme. You will be guided and supported by our professionally qualified team who will give you the dedicated individual care that you need to achieve significant weight loss. We understand that the real key to effective long term control of obesity is to change your behaviour and relationship with food. To that end, we have developed the NOSC Gastric Balloon Support Programme. This unique, interactive online programme will answer all your questions and help you to take back control. As well as providing nutritional guidance and support, your personal nutritionist will take you through four telephone workshops to give you the knowledge you need to succeed. Every year, we help hundreds of people to successfully lose weight with the NOSC Gastric Balloon Programme. By joining the growing number of NOSC patients you can be sure that our team will give you the support and dedicated individual patient care that you need to achieve significant weight loss.

ORBERA365™ Gastric Balloon

Non-surgical, non-invasive and with no incisions, the ORBERA365™ helps you to feel fuller and eat smaller meals. The shape and volume of this gastric balloon takes up enough space in your stomach to help you adapt to healthier portion sizes. The technology and design of the balloon helps patients lose up to three times the weight of diet and exercise alone. Using an endoscope, the balloon is placed into the stomach in a simple, non-surgical outpatient procedure. Once the balloon has been filled with saline it is about the size of a grapefruit. The entire procedure takes about twenty to thirty minutes. After roughly two hours of recovery, most patients head home to begin the rest of their new life. The NOSC Support Team will help you to stay motivated by monitoring your progress with regular calls for for up to eighteen months.

Spatz3 Gastric Balloon

Spatz3 is the only Dynamic-Adjustable* Balloon system. The balloon is inserted during an outpatient procedure (endoscopic) which takes about forty-five minutes and is performed under sedation. Non-surgical, non-invasive and with no incisions, hospitalisation is not required. The Spatz3 is placed in the stomach and occupies approximately one-third of the stomach’s volume. This causes the stomach to empty very slowly, keeping food in longer than usual and produces symptoms that signal to the patient that there is an abundance of food in the stomach. The NOSC Support Team will help you to stay motivated by monitoring your progress with regular calls for for up to eighteen months.

Allurion Swallow Balloon

The Allurion Balloon is the world’s first and only weight loss device which requires no surgery, endoscopy, anaesthetic or removal. Your Allurion balloon will be placed during a brief visit to the clinic and passes naturally after approximately sixteen weeks, so there is no need to return to the clinic for a removal procedure. The programme includes professional follow-up for six months, along with a smart scale and app to track your weight loss. The NOSC Support Team will help you to stay motivated by monitoring your progress regularly. With your stylish, wireless scale and easy-to-use app you can record and track real-time data: BMI, weight, body fat and more.

The Gastric Balloon is the non-surgical weight loss alternative for people who want an intense period of weight loss and who understand that they must keep to a sensible eating programme after their balloon is removed.

The balloon is designed to induce weight loss by partially filling your stomach so that you get less hungry, feel fuller quicker, and importantly alter your personal relationship with food. It does so by utilising it alongside a dedicated follow up and support programme.
The Stomach Balloon Programme at the National Obesity Surgery Centre is a safe, effective, proven, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical alternative for the treatment of obesity. It requires no surgery and no general anaesthetic.

The balloon may be suitable for you if your BMI is over 27. The ORBERA365™ and Spatz3 balloons stay in place for twelve months with an eighteen month support programme. The Allurion Swallow Balloon will remain in place for approximately sixteen weeks with a six month support programme. To qualify for a Spats3 balloon, your BMI must be over 27, for the ORBERA365™ balloon your BMI must be over 30 and you should understand that your behaviour around food needs to change in order for you to reap the long term benefits of your Gastric Balloon.

  • You may have a specific reason for your weight gain and that reason has now gone (such as temporary immobility or pregnancy) and you would like to lose weight quickly, efficiently and safely.
  • You are a long term yo-yo dieter, but you know that with the correct help you can lose your excess weight and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle after your gastric balloon is removed.
  • You are prepared to involve yourself with the NOSC Support Team and follow their guidance.
  • You may prefer not to undergo a more invasive procedure involving general anaesthesia.
  • You may be suffering from a significant weight related co-morbidity. The commonest co-morbidity we see in this group is infertility associated with polycystic ovary syndrome.
  • You may not be medically fit enough to undergo a more major procedure.
  • You might need to lose weight quickly before you are able to undergo other surgery, such as joint replacement or heart bypass surgery.
If you have up to 15kg to lose, you might choose the Allurion Swallow Balloon. If you have more weight to lose or you would like the added benefit of a longer lasting device you will probably choose the ORBERA365™ or the Spatz3 balloon.

ORBERA365™ Gastric Balloon: During an endoscopic procedure, the deflated balloon is inserted through your mouth, down your gullet and into your stomach. In our expert hands, it requires little or no sedation and we will ensure that you feel little discomfort during your procedure. Once the balloon is in your stomach it is inflated and filled with sterile saline. The amount of saline varies according to the size of your stomach. The removal of the balloon is as simple as the placement.

Spatz3 Gastric Balloon: You will be sedated for the insertion of your gastric balloon. During an endoscopic procedure, the deflated balloon is inserted through your mouth, down your gullet and into your stomach. Once the balloon is in your stomach it is inflated and filled with sterile saline. The amount of saline varies according to the size of your stomach. The removal of the balloon is as simple as the placement.

Allurion Swallow Balloon: You will swallow a vegetarian capsule containing the Allurion Balloon. After an x-ray confirms the balloon is in the stomach, it is filled with liquid via a catheter. A second x-ray confirms the balloon is filled. After about four months, the balloon automatically empties and passes naturally without the need for any medical procedure.

ORBERA365™ and Spatz3 Gastric Balloon: It can take up to forty-five minutes to place your Gastric Balloon. You usually leave the hospital within an hour or two of your procedure. Allurion Swallow Balloon: The procedure lasts around 20 minutes and you usually leave the hospital within an hour of your procedure.

Most people find that their Gastric Balloon settles quickly, usually within 2 to 4 days. Side effects can include nausea, bloating and stomach cramps which can all be resolved with medication.

The Stomach Balloon programme at the NOSC consists of the following:

The NOSC Preparation Programme

ORBERA365™ and Spatz3 Gastric Balloon : The NOSC unique four day medication preparation programme prior to the insertion of the balloon.
Allurion Swallow Balloon: Two week medication preparation programme prior to the insertion of the balloon

We run the NOSC Stomach Balloon Programme throughout the UK and beyond, so wherever you live, the National Obesity Surgery Centre can provide you with an excellent service, both during and following your gastric balloon procedure.

This will help you get the very best out of your Gastric Balloon – achieving optimum results.

The whole point of our exclusive NOSC Stomach Balloon programme is to use the stomach balloon to help the patients adapt an eating pattern where they are eating:

  • The right food
  • In the right amounts
  • At the right times
  • For the right reasons
  • For the rest of their lives

In short – a healthy relationship with food. It really is as simple as that!

The Stomach Balloon programme at the NOSC consists of the following:

The NOSC Prep Programme

This is our own unique 4-day preparation programme prior to the insertion of the balloon.

The NOSC Food and Eating Programme

At the National Obesity Surgery Centre we believe that food and eating are distinct elements. Each is awarded equal importance in our programme, making the whole issue of food easier to deal with. It is a process that continues throughout the placement of the balloon and forever afterwards. It is not a fad diet, it is not a liquid diet, it is not a quick fix, it is just a simple, healthy approach to food.

The NOSC Support Programme

At the NOSC we believe that support is essential, irrespective of how you lose weight. With the NOSC 24 hour support system patients are never on their own.

The NOSC Behaviour Modification Programme

CBC (Cognitive Behavioural Coaching) is based on scientific principles which help the patients to understand their issues around food and how these issues affect their feelings, thoughts and behaviour. The focus of the coaching is to enable patients to generate solutions to the problems of yo-yo dieting.




* Spatz3 gastric balloon adjustments are not included in the NOSC package but we would be happy to arrange an adjustment for you. Please ask your Patient Advisor for information and costs.








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