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Bariatric Surgery, or Weight Loss Surgery, can be one of the only successful approaches to loosing weight for people who are morbidly obese (100 lbs or more over weight). So how do people decide to have this surgery and how do they choose a surgeon and a center for their surgery?
Dr. Tom Brown recommeds selecting a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center and its Medical Director, Tom Brown, MD, are designated as a "Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence" by the . has purposefully identified qualified hospitals and surgeons who have demonstrated a high standard of care in bariatrics. If you are considering bariatric surgery, it is critical to choose a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence to minimize the risk of complications and to ensure potential for long-term success.
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Under the Medical Direction of Dr. Tom Brown, Bariatric Surgeon, we strive for the most successful outcomes possible, ensuring our patients undergo a multidisciplinary medical evaluation prior to being accepted and scheduled for surgery. In addition, patients will have extensive follow-up by both the surgeon and other health professionals as they progress. Such an approach is associated with long-term successful weight loss.
Surgical Evaluation
A surgeon will discuss with the patient whether or not they meet the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requirements for undergoing the surgical procedure and whether they are a satisfactory operative risk.
Nutritional Evaluation
A nutritionist will help the patient decide whether they have sufficient motivation towards weight loss to make the necessary lifelong changes in eating habits and exercise that must compliment the surgical procedure.
There is also a need for close nutritional monitoring during rapid weight loss, as certain vitamins and minerals are poorly absorbed and need to be supplemented.
Psychological Evaluation
There are two reasons for preoperative evaluation-to identify those in whom surgery would be contraindicated and discuss what adjustments might be needed before surgery is indicated, and to identify those in whom surgery is likely to be a success.
The psychologist will discuss with the patient issues that are not unique, but certainly common, among many obese adults such as frustration, food cravings and obsessions, self-esteem or confidence issues, anxiety, and depression, and how surgery may realistically impact their life.
Intensivist Consult
It is important for the patient to have a thorough medication evaluation to ensure that the patient is medically ready for surgery.
Bariatric surgery requires a long-term commitment to positive change on the part of the patient; eating habits, physical activity habits, and overall lifestyle habits will undergo significant modification. Clearly, the patient must be prepared and ready for such a challenge.
Using such a team approach to bariatric surgery increases the likelihood of success in achieving desirable and realistic weight loss, as well as improvement and satisfaction in daily life for the patient long-term.
We also provide and encourage involvement in a support group to assist patients in continuing to maintain their modified lifestyle they have chosen.
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