Region's Top Center for Gastric Bypass Surgery to Host Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
MORRISTOWN, NJ -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 07/28/2004 -- Surgeons at Morristown Memorial Hospital's Bariatric Surgery Center will perform gastric bypass surgery live on www.OR-Live.com, October 1st at 2 pm EDT (1800 UTC) and demonstrate a powerful tool to combat America's obesity epidemic. Viewers will have the ability to submit questions directly to the operating room for an on-camera response by the surgical team during the procedure and also can participate in an educational forum following the live webcast.
Morbid obesity is a disease that affects 97 million Americans and experts predict the problem will worsen in years to come. Morbidly obese patients -- those with a Body Mass Index of 40 or more, or 35 or more with a life-threatening obesity-related problem -- are at risk for cardiac problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems, sleep apnea, and sudden death syndrome.
For overweight patients who have repeatedly tried and failed to lose weight through diet and exercise, bariatric surgery may be the solution. With minimally invasive surgical techniques surgeons can promote long-term weight loss through laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (LRYGBP) and adjustable gastric banding. Both procedures close off parts of the patient's stomach to restrict the amount of food that can be consumed.
Surgeons at Morristown Memorial have been on the forefront of minimally invasive surgery. When the LRYGPB procedure was fully developed, Morristown Memorial's surgeons were some of the first to adopt it. Alexander Abkin, MD, and Nicholas Bertha, DO, and the rest of the hospital's experienced bariatric surgery team perform an average of 25 LRYGBP, or gastric bypass, surgeries each week.
"Minimally invasive bariatric surgery has eliminated the need for an incision in the abdomen, significantly reducing the risk of surgery in the morbidly obese," said Dr. Abkin. "Patients have minimal pain, and spend an average of two and a half days in the hospital."
"What is especially gratifying," explains Dr. Bertha, "is that not only do these patients lose significant amounts of weight in their first post-surgical year, but also some of the complicating health factors associated with their obesity begin to either reverse or stop their deadly advance."
Visit http://www.or-live.com/morristown/1195 now to view a program preview, doctors comments, patient testimonials and register for an event reminder.
VNR: http://www.or-live.com/morristown/1195/rams/vnr.ram