Weight Loss Device Allows Unlimited Eating, Then Pumps It Out of the Stomach
A health device has recently been making strides in bariatric healthcare. The AspireAssist System helps people lose weight with the help of a device that literally sucks out the contents of the stomach before digestion.
The device includes a thin silicone A-Tube, a "Skin Port" and a small machine that will help release a portion of the contents in the stomach, reports Glory Surgery.
In order to use the device, the patient must undergo a minimally invasive outpatient procedure so that the A-Tube can be placed into the stomach.
According to the AspireAssist official website, the simple surgery only takes about 20 minutes to perform and the patient can leave the healthcare facility within one or two hours.
The tube is connected to the "Skin Port" which can be visibly seen on the outer abdomen of the patient.
The port has a valve, which is connected to the machine that will pump out the contents of the stomach. There is also a water canister attached to the machine, which pumps water into the stomach to help wash out the undigested food.
The device can remove 30 percent of food contained in the stomach. The site explains that after consumption, food directly travels to the stomach, where it temporarily stays in order to undergo the digestion process.
An hour after consumption, food is usually broken down into smaller pieces before traveling through the intestines, where calories are absorbed.
The device aims to decrease the amount of calories absorbed into the intestines by reducing the amount of food that passes through it.
The AspireAssist system has proven to be effective in people struggling with weight loss and obesity. Doctors who support the use of the device claim that it is a less invasive and safer method of losing weight than other bariatric procedures, like gastric bypass surgery.
Some physicians believe there is nothing wrong with the use of the AspireAssist system, since its mechanics are similar to the feeding tube system used on patients who are unable to consume food orally, except in reverse.
Other physicians, however, feel that the device is promoting binge eating, since it ideally allows patients to eat the amount of food they want without the common repercussions.
Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum spoke out against the use of the device. He said it basically is a device that allows people to "vomit on demand," reports Daily Mail.