Monday, March 28, 2011

Bariatric Services Now Offered at Sinai and Northwest

While its patients are slimming down, the Bariatrics Program at LifeBridge Health is expanding, with services at Northwest and Sinai hospitals.

Kuldeep Singh, M.D., joined the Division of General Surgery at Northwest Hospital as the division head of Minimally Invasive Surgery, specializing in bariatrics. Cynthia Long, M.D., joined the Department of Surgery at Sinai Hospital, also specializing in bariatrics. Along with Christina Li, M.D., division head of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Sinai Hospital, Singh and Long will offer the following options for patients who are eligible for bariatric surgery: laparoscopic gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure.

Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery involves stapling the stomach and rerouting the small intestine to form a small stomach pouch about the size of an egg. A limb of intestine is attached to the pouch to create a bypass. After surgery, food enters the pouch and empties into the small intestine. As a result, food bypasses almost all of the stomach and a segment of the intestine.

Sleeve gastrectomy is a nonreversible procedure that generates weight loss solely through reduced food intake. Divided vertically, the stomach is reduced by more than 85 percent. The portion of the stomach that remains is shaped like a very slim banana or sleeve. There is no intestinal bypass, only stomach reduction.

With the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure, an inflatable band is placed around the upper part of the stomach increasing the feeling of fullness. When less food is consumed, the body draws on its own fat reserves for energy, which in turn results in weight loss. The procedure is less invasive than the other two procedures. It requires no cutting or stapling of the stomach or bowel, and is also associated with a lower risk of malnutrition. Adjustments to the band can be made without additional surgery, and it is reversible if necessary.

The bariatrics surgeons will educate patients and help them to select the best weight loss surgery that will suit their needs, fit with their health and lifestyle, and match their comfort level.

Each bariatrics physician is board certified. Li specializes in laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Long specializes in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Singh specializes in laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastric banding; and soon he will offer laparoscopic greater curvature plication.

To meet with a physician, call 410.601.WELL.

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