New Weight-loss System Available at Pioneer Valley Surgical Associates

SPRINGFIELD — The ORBERA Managed Weight Loss System is the newest FDA-approved procedure for weight loss and is garnering interest among people looking for alternatives to weight-loss surgery, said Dr. Burritt Haag of Pioneer Valley Surgical Associates, the only qualified physician in Western Mass. to offer this procedure, also known as the non-surgical gastric balloon. He has been providing weight-loss surgery options for patients in Western Mass. since 2003.

The ORBERA balloon is part of the ORBERA Managed Weight Loss System, a comprehensive, non-surgical, two-part program that includes a balloon filling space in a patient’s stomach to reinforce proper portion control. Data on ORBERA collected in the U.S. clinical trial has shown that the average person lost 3.1 times the weight as compared with diet and exercise alone within six months.

The ORBERA Managed Weight Loss System, which combines the balloon with nutritional coaching and exercise programs, is indicated for adult patients suffering from obesity with a body-mass index of 30 to 40. More than 78.6 million adults in the U.S. are obese, and this newly approved treatment offers a path that does not require more invasive traditional surgery.

Haag earned his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He completed his surgical training at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City and an advanced laparoscopy fellowship at Hackensack University Medical Center, with a primary focus in bariatric surgery. He is a member of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons and the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, is certified by the American Board of Surgery, and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

For more information or to attend a free informational seminars, call (413) 736-3163 or visit www.pvsurgical.com/events.