Obesity is a major health concern in the United States and now FDA has gone ahead and approved a new weight loss device that can be surgically implanted to treat obesity. The Maestro Rechargeable System is the first device since 2007 that has got an approval from FDA and can treat patients above 18 years of age. The device is designed to help patients that find it difficult to lose weight. As per FDA the device is fit for patients that have a body mass index of 35-45 with at least one other obesity-related condition like Type 2 diabetes.
The device is manufactured by EnteroMedics of St Paul, Minnesota and has a rechargeable electrical pulse generator, wire leads and electrodes that can be implanted in the abdomen. The device sends intermittent electrical pulses to the abdominal vagus nerve that regulates stomach emptying. By controlling this aspect, the device can send a signal to the brain that the stomach feels either empty or full. The device has undergone clinical trial that consists of 233 patients and more than 157 patients lost 8.5% or more of their excess weight. The clinical trial study also showed that more than 52.5% of the patients lost at least 20% of their excess weight.
