Weight Loss Clinic Faces Criticism Again: Patient Vomits Blood

A patient sought treatment for obesity and ended up in a life-threatening condition. The Stockholm clinic persuaded him to undergo multiple gastric balloon procedures, despite their ineffectiveness. Eventually, he began vomiting blood.

In 2021, a patient from Gävleborg sought treatment for obesity. At a clinic in the Stockholm area, he had gastric balloons inserted on four occasions. After each removal, he regained the weight he had lost but was repeatedly persuaded to try again.

According to a report to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo), the patient ended up in a life-threatening condition during the last procedure.

"I vomited for several days, and when the vomiting turned to blood, I went to the emergency room," the patient wrote in the report, first highlighted by the news agency Siren.

At the hospital, it was found that his health had significantly deteriorated, and he had developed acute kidney failure.

Criticized Clinic

The patient stated that the clinic advised him to keep the balloons despite complications. When he later contacted the clinic due to vomiting five to ten times a day, the clinic's response was simply to wait.

The clinic has previously faced severe criticism from Ivo after several failed weight loss treatments. According to SVT Skåne, this includes performing weight loss procedures on individuals who were not sufficiently overweight to require treatment and failing to conduct proper medical examinations.