1551 – Aspiration therapy via the insertion of a customised percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube into the stomach for weight loss management in obese patients with a BMI ≥ 35

New MBS item/s.

The proposed medical service is an endoscopic weight loss therapy utilising a customised percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (Aspire A-Tube) and an external device.The procedure involves the doctor performing a gastroscopy, passing a gastroscope through the patient’s mouth and looking into the stomach. The vision is seen on a screen. A small 1cm incision is then made in the patient’s stomach. A 26Fr silicone tube (AspireAssist A-Tube) is then passed through the mouth, into the stomach and out the incision. A Skin-Port is attached to the external part of the tube on the abdominal wall. The procedure takes around 15-minutes and is performed in a day surgery. The procedure is typically performed under “twilight sedation” (also called conscious sedation). The procedure itself is almost identical to the placement of PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) feeding tubes. The procedure is fully reversible and causes no anatomical changes. Patients can usually return home within a few hours, and many return to work in a few days.

Type: Therapeutic

Overweight and obesity is measured at the population level for adults using the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. Overweight is measured at a BMI of 25 or more, with obesity determined at a BMI of 30 or more. These cut-off points are based on associations between and chronic disease and mortality. Obesity rates in Australia present one of the greatest population health challenges. Epidemiological data on prevalence and demographic data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that, in 2008, 3.71 million Australians (17.5% of the population) were obese, and by 2025 this is projected to increase to 4.6 million Australians (18.3% of the population).Downstream effects of obesity (from associated diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and osteoarthritis) impacts on the MBS, health system expenditures, productivity and other impacts, with the financial costs of obesity totalling around $8.3 billion in 2008. There is no single product or procedure that is suitable for all patients.

• PASC meeting: 6 to 7 December 2018
• ESC meeting: -
• MSAC meeting: -