A Dubai-based doctor has become the first locally to perform the scar-free, non-invasive procedure from California's USGI Medical designed to help patients reduce hunger and feel full sooner.

Doctor Tarek Saleh has performed the Middle East’s first POSE (Primary Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal) procedures on twenty-five patients to date at the Al-Habib Medical Centre, Dubai Health Care City.

The POSE procedure has been performed globally on over 1,200 patients, a statement said.

The centre, part of the Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, is a leading provider of private healthcare in the Middle East. The patients who underwent the POSE procedure returned to work or normal activities within 2-3 days with no complications.

“Obesity and its side effects such as diabetes are a serious issue across the Middle East, United Arab Emirates and Gulf States. Many people are struggling with their weight and are looking for an alternative to invasive weight loss surgery. POSE is a new discreet procedure to help my patients feel full and eat less,” said Dr Saleh.

“It offers many advantages over traditional bariatric surgery performed through the abdomen, resulting in shorter hospitalization, less risk of infection and no visible scars. My first patients were back to their everyday lives within just a few days, without any bandages or signs of surgery.”

To perform POSE, doctors pass USGI Medical’s Incisionless Operating Platform (IOP), down a patient’s throat, and use tools to grasp tissue and deploy the company’s specially-designed Expandable Tissue Anchors to create multiple tissue folds in the stomach. An endoscope provides visualization.

According to the latest available study by the World Health Organization around 39.9 per cent of women in the UAE are obese, the seventh highest proportion in the world.

Among men, 25.6 per cent were classified as obese, the ninth highest figure. Several serious diseases and conditions are commonly associated with obesity, including Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Surgical treatment of obesity has increased significantly in recent years; however, most obese or overweight people refuse traditional obesity surgery because they are concerned about the risk of complications. Incision free procedures such as POSE offer a desirable alternative. – TradeArabia News Service