Pacemaker for Stomach Aids Weight Loss

A new gastric stimulator delivers gentle electrical pulses to stimulate the stomach to reduce appetite and hunger.

The implantable gastric stimulator (IGS), called Transcend II, consists of a small battery-operated device that is implanted in the abdomen. Two thin insulated wires connect the device to the stomach wall. Much like a cardiac pacemaker, the gastric stimulator delivers a small current to the stomach, causing it to relax, signaling a feeling of fullness and satiety to the brain, according to the developers. The current can be adjusted through a handheld computer, which "talks” to the pacemaker through a radio signal. Patients usually do not feel anything when the pacemaker is working. The minor surgery can take as little as an hour and patients may not be required to stay overnight.

The Transcend II was developed by Transneuronix, Inc. (Mt. Arlington, NJ, USA) and is now being marketed in Canada by Xycorp Medical, Inc. (Mississauga). Three Centers of Excellence have been selected in Canada to begin using the system. In the United States, the stimulator is limited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigational use.

"It's been remarkably complication-free,” observed Scott Shikora, M.D., of Tufts-New England Medical Center (Boston, MA, USA). Dr. Scott has been testing the device on obese patients for five years.

"It will enable the physician to offer a simple alternative requiring a simple surgical procedure, a short hospital stay, and a low risk of complication,” said Jack Ide, president of Xycorp Medical. "It will revolutionize the treatment of obesity in Canada.”




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