This article originally posted 04 November, 2008 and appeared in Issue 441
Vacuum Seal the Stomach To Fight Diabetes
An experimental procedure could help high-risk people lose weight, and cut their chances of developing Type II diabetes, without going under the knife.
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According to a report, published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new cases of the disease have doubled in the past decade, and one of the primary causes is obesity.
Many Americans could drastically reduce their risk of becoming diabetic by exercising more and eating healthier foods, but severely overweight people may need surgery.
By sealing off part of the digestive organ, surgeons can limit the amount of food that their patients will absorb. With time, those people will feel full after eating rather small meals. But they may develop some nasty complications, including gastric dumping syndrome, which is as bad as it sounds.
This new procedure, which was developed by Satiety Inc., revolves around a device that lets doctors seal off part of the stomach from the inside without making any incisions. The device slides in through the mouth, along with an endoscope, and sucks the stomach shut before crimping the walls and fixing them in place with titanium staples.
Several studies have shown that the new surgical technique, called transoral gastroplasty, or TOGA, has far fewer nasty side effects than the standard of care.
Right now, Satiety is running a Phase III clinical trial. Once it is complete, the FDA may choose to approve the TOGA procedure.
Even though the treatment could keep people healthy, and save healthcare providers a fortune in the long run, insurance companies are unlikely to pay for it. The reason is entirely related to economics: Most insurance companies keep their clients for just over two years, so they have very little incentive to pay for costly preventative surgeries — even if it is the right thing to do.
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By sealing off part of the digestive organ, surgeons can limit the amount of food that their patients will absorb. With time, those people will feel full after eating rather small meals. But they may develop some nasty complications, including gastric dumping syndrome, which is as bad as it sounds. 
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