Patent ID: 7112186

Claim:
A method of treating a subject in need of treatment for an eating disorder or overweight condition, said method comprising disposing in the stomach of the subject a balloon that is inflatable to occlude at least a portion of interior volume of the stomach, wherein the balloon is coupled by a gas flow passage to an actuatable source of inflation gas, and actuating the source of inflation gas to flow gas into the balloon for inflation thereof to occlude at least a portion of the interior volume of the stomach, to an extent producing satiety with reduced intake of nutrition, relative to a corresponding subject lacking the inflated balloon in the subject's stomach, wherein the stomach is defined by a stomach wall, said gas flow passage is coupled at a distal end thereof with the balloon and extends through the stomach wall to a proximal end that extends exteriorly out of a dermal wall of the subject's body, and said gas flow passage extending through the stomach wall is retained in position by a first exterior flange member and a first interior flange member, and said gas flow passage extending through the dermal wall is retained in position by a second exterior flange member and a second interior flange member.