A new device has been invented that let’s you eat whatever you want, hang the calories! The pump, called the ‘AspireAssist’, sucks one third of the calories out of your stomach 20 minutes after eating. A skin-port is discreetly embedded in the outside of your abdomen, which is attached to a handheld device that connects to the tube through which you empty the sucked-out calories into the toilet when you want.
Aspire Bariatrics, the pump manufacturer, says ‘The AspireAssist Aspiration Therapy System is a breakthrough weight loss solution for people with obesity. Unlike many other weight loss procedures, the AspireAssist is minimally-invasive and completely reversible at any time.’ It was invented by gastroenterologists Dr. Sam Klein and Dr. Moshe Shike, and interventional radiologist Dr. Stephen Solomon, who say that an obese patient can now control their weight with this ‘Aspiration Therapy’ method.
Placing the tube itself seems relatively risk-free, as it is an outpatient, 20-minute procedure, performed under no general anaesthetic, and more often than not you can go home or to work within one or two hours after the tube is implanted. However, the inventors warn that this doesn’t mean that you get off making any lifestyle changes scot-free. The Aspire Assist should be used in conjunction with a lifestyle modification programme that is carefully tailored to your needs and is monitored closely by a medical health professional.
So how does it fit into your day? You perform the aspiration process (which in this context simply means ‘stomach-draining’) approximately 20 minutes after a meal. You do this in the toilets and the whole process takes 5-10 minutes. You do this 3 times a day after each major meal at first, and once you learn to eat more healthily you won’t need to do it as much. There is only a small risk to your wellbeing of not receiving enough calories to function properly, as the pump only ever removes 30% of your stomach’s contents, and the system was given approval to market in the EU in December 2011. However, if it doesn’t work for you or there are any problems, you can have the pump removed in a 15-minute out-patient procedure. Consult your doctor for more information.