{"id":7888,"date":"2026-04-15T10:47:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7888"},"modified":"2026-04-15T10:47:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:47:48","slug":"health-chiefs-issue-warning-over-gastric-balloon-fitted-by-nhs-and-private-clinics-due-to-severe-complications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7888","title":{"rendered":"Health chiefs issue warning over gastric balloon fitted by NHS and private clinics due to ‘severe complications’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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People who have been fitted with gastric balloons have been warned of ‘serious complications’ connected to the weight-loss procedure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The treatment, which has surged in popularity in recent years, involves swallowing a capsule that is filled with water when in the stomach, helping patients feel fuller and reducing appetite.<\/p>\n

In most cases, the balloon is designed to deflate and pass naturally through the body after around four months, without requiring medical assistance.<\/p>\n

However, there have been several reports of the device becoming lodged inside patients as it exits, leading to potentially dangerous consequences and hospitalisation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, a notice by Allurion – which provides gastric balloons to the NHS<\/a> – has warned physicians of the ‘known but serious complications’ that can arise from the procedure.<\/p>\n

A letter shared by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reads: ‘In rare instances the Allurion Gastric Balloon does not transit through the bowel as designed, leading to patient complications such as gastric outlet obstruction, small bowel obstruction, and gastric perforation.<\/p>\n

‘These are known but serious complications of intragastric balloons.’<\/p>\n

Allurion says it has received eight reports of gastric perforation and small bowel obstruction in Britain, along with a further 13 cases of gastric outlet obstruction linked to the gastric balloon procedure between 2018 and 2024.<\/p>\n

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A warning has been issued over ‘complications’ that can arise from gastric balloon procedures\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It adds: ‘In all UK reported cases, additional intervention, such as surgery or endoscopic procedure was required. Following intervention, all patients recovered and no further complications were reported.’<\/p>\n

Gastric outlet obstruction occurs when the passage between the stomach and the small intestine becomes blocked, leading to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.<\/p>\n

Small bowel obstruction can cause similar symptoms and is classified by experts as a medical emergency.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, gastric perforation occurs when a hole forms in the gastrointestinal tract – the system of organs that allows food and liquids to pass through the body and supports digestion.<\/p>\n

This can result in blood loss, internal bleeding, inflammation of the abdominal lining, and permanent damage. In severe cases, it can also lead to sepsis, which is potentially fatal.<\/p>\n

As detailed in official NHS figures released last week, 129 gastric balloon procedures were carried out in\u00a02024-25, though many more are believed to have been done privately.<\/p>\n

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is currently the only NHS trust offering gastric balloons, having announced in January 2024 that it was leading the way with the ‘innovative procedure’.<\/p>\n

However, there are scores of private clinics specialising in gastric balloon services in the UK – charging around \u00a35,000 – and hundreds of Britons fly abroad to have the surgery for less.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Turkey, for instance, an Allurion balloon can cost as little as \u00a31,900 including flights and accommodation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patients who have experienced complications have previously warned others about the risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alaina Shaw, from Uxbridge, west London,\u00a0paid \u00a34,500 for the balloon when she was 33-years-old and weighed 21 stone.<\/p>\n

The former accountant said it felt like she was going to die<\/a> after it became stuck inside her when it moved from her stomach to her intestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said: ‘I didn’t lose any weight and thought I was going to die. I want to warn people about the dangers of getting this done.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Shaw underwent the procedure in November 2023 at a private hospital after being told she could lose up to 20 per cent of her body weight within four months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘It was supposed to be a temporary thing – you swallow this pill, they fill it with saline solution, and they check on an X-ray if it’s there,’ she said.<\/p>\n

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