St Vincent’s Offers Free Seminars On New Bariatric Surgery Program

BRIDGEPORT — St Vincent’s Medical Center will be hosting free informational seminars about bariatric surgery on Monday, August 30, at 7 pm, at the Trumbull Library and Tuesday, September 14, at 7 pm at the Easton Library.

St Vincent’s Medical Center is taking a comprehensive approach to treating patients with obesity and has recently added surgery for the treatment of obesity called “bariatric surgery.”

St Vincent’s now performs the most common surgery for obesity, the “Roux-en-Y” or “gastric bypass” procedure. St Vincent’s recognizes obesity as a serious health problem throughout Fairfield County and has committed to providing this procedure to patients seeking weight loss surgery as an alternative to conventional weight loss approaches that have failed.

The medical center also offers a less invasive approach of weight loss surgery called laparoscopic banding. The “lap-band” is an adjustable gastric banding system that creates a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach that is controlled and adjustable without stapling. This procedure is fully reversible and requires a shorter hospital stay.

“Obesity is associated with almost every other medical disease: high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, knee pain,” explains Dr Timothy Erlich, medical director of St Vincent’s Medical Center’s Bariatric Surgery Services. “Obesity is the number one cause of death, the second is tobacco.”

As many as one-third of Americans are considered obese; another third is classified as overweight, according to the American Obesity Association. Obesity causes secondary complications, including high blood pressure, type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. It leads to at least 300,000 deaths and health care costs up to $100 billion annually. Moreover, obesity takes considerable emotional and physical health tolls on those who are obese or “morbidly obese.”

Diet and exercise alone are not effective for some individuals to regain better health and overall well-being. “This surgery is a tool,” said Dr Erlich. “Patients need to make the commitment to follow the program.

To be considered for surgical candidacy the prospective patient is required to attend one free informational seminar at St Vincent’s Medical Center before scheduling a consultation with a surgeon. St Vincent’s surgeons follow the guidelines established by the National Institute of Health, which is also what most insurance companies use to determine approval. These guidelines include: age 18–65, a body mass index of 40 or higher or 35+ with severe, uncontrolled co-morbidity factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

The Roux-en-Y procedure involves bypassing a portion of the small intestine, making a direct connection between the small intestine and a pouch that is inserted into the stomach. It is therefore both malabsorptive (prevents absorption of foods) and restrictive (limits the amount of food that patients can consume), resulting in significant weight loss.

Additionally, St Vincent’s conducted extensive clinical training and education about preoperative and postoperative emotional aspects of obesity for its staff members who assist bariatric patients. A person’s success at keeping the weight off will depend on a lifelong commitment to dietary changes and physical effort, as well as peer support.

To support patients and promote continued success, St Vincent’s Medical Center offers monthly support group meetings for bariatric patients.

For more information about gastric bypass surgery or lap-band at St Vincent’s Medical Center call 877-255-SVHS.