Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates Performs New Incisionless Procedure to Treat...

Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates Performs New Incisionless Procedure to
Treat Weight Regain After Gastric Bypass

LEXINGTON, Ky., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical
Associates' G. Derek Weiss, MD, FACS, FASMBS and John Oldham, Jr., MD, FASMBS
have become two of the first surgeons in the United States and the only
surgeons in Kentucky to offer a new incisionless procedure to reverse weight
gain after gastric bypass surgery.
Drs. Weiss and Oldham, who operate at five centers across Kentucky, have
completed the first 27 procedures starting on March 23, 2008 and these first
patients have lost an average of 15 pounds.
The incision-free procedure known as "ROSE" (Restorative Obesity Surgery,
Endolumenal) reduces the size of a patient's stomach pouch and stoma to the
original post-gastric bypass proportions to help them back onto the path of
weight loss.
"Gastric bypass patients work very hard to manage their weight and adjust
their lifestyle after surgery," Dr. Weiss said. "Sometimes, through no fault
of their own or their surgeon, the benefits of the bypass procedure are not
permanent." He added, "To date, revision options have been expensive,
difficult to perform and risky for the patient, effectively leaving them
without any treatment options. Now, with this new incisionless procedure being
offered at Bluegrass Bariatric, we have a new and dramatically less invasive
way to correct a key cause of weight regain."
Gastric bypass surgery offers a very effective means to lose weight. It is
not, however, always a permanent fix. Up to 44 percent of patients who undergo
gastric bypass begin to regain weight -- and the dangerous co-morbidities
associated with it -- a few years after their initial operation.
Studies show that post-gastric bypass weight regain sometimes occurs
because the stomach pouch and the opening to the small intestine (the stoma)
slowly stretch out, allowing the patient to eat more without feeling full.
Invasive procedures to restore the anatomy to the original post-surgery
proportions have been too complicated and dangerous for most patients, leaving
them without any feasible treatment options.
"By eliminating skin incisions, this new procedure may provide important
advantages to patients including reduced risk of infection and associated
complications, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time and no abdominal
scars," Dr. Oldham said.
To perform the ROSE procedure, Dr. Weiss and Dr. Oldham use a small,
flexible endoscope and a new EndoSurgical Operating System(TM) (EOS) developed
by USGI Medical Inc. The scope and the EOS are inserted through the mouth and
into the stomach pouch. The EOS tools are then used to grasp tissue and deploy
suture anchors to create multiple, circumferential tissue folds around the
stoma, reducing the diameter of the opening to more closely match original
post-gastric bypass proportions. If needed, additional anchors are then
placed in the stomach pouch to reduce its volume capacity. No cuts are made
into the patient's skin during the procedure.
Kristy Devers underwent the ROSE procedure on March 26. The soccer mom
has always struggled with her weight. She reached 368 pounds in her 20s and
became very worried about her health. She entered a weight loss program and
lost 40 pounds, but she could never get past that plateau. Three years after
she gave birth to her daughter, Jordan, she decided to undergo gastric bypass.
"I wanted to be around when Jordan grew up," Devers, a Lexington, KY
resident, said. "My original gastric bypass procedure was the best thing I'd
ever done for myself. I lost 99 pounds and really felt great. But then the
weight gradually started coming back."
Devers came to Dr. Weiss and Dr. Oldham in search of a procedure that
could help put her back on the path to weight loss. "I was so thrilled to hear
that there was an incisionless procedure that could help me," she said. "I
left the hospital after the ROSE procedure and only felt a little ache in my
shoulder, which went away after I took one pain pill. I immediately felt
fuller faster during meals and have already lost 24 pounds."
Ideal patients for the ROSE procedure are patients who were initially
successful losing weight after their gastric bypass and now are regaining
weight. After an initial screening, candidates undergo a series of evaluations
including nutritional and dietary counseling, a full medical exam and
endoscopy to determine if they are good candidates.
More than 15 million people in the United States suffer from severe
obesity and the numbers continue to rise. Several serious diseases and
conditions are commonly associated with obesity, including Type II diabetes,
hypertension, sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. Surgical treatment of
obesity has increased significantly in recent years. Over 200,000 individuals
in the United States underwent bariatric surgery in 2007, and it is estimated
that over 125,000 patients today are candidates waiting for an incisionless
revision procedure.
The Bariatric Surgery Program at Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates
makes a long-term commitment to patients' health and guides them from
pre-surgery consultation and testing through surgery, recovery and continuing
support. Bluegrass Bariatric specializes in laparoscopic weight-loss surgery
including adjustable gastric lap banding and Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass. Drs.
Weiss and Oldham operate at Central Baptist, Lexington; Baptist East in
Louisville; Georgetown Community Hospital; Appalachian Regional Hospital in
Hazard and Jackson Purchase Medical Center in Mayfield.
Dr. Weiss is a Louisville native and board-certified general surgeon
specializing in minimally invasive bariatric surgery. He graduated from
Ballard High School, Dartmouth College, University of Louisville School of
Medicine and Emory University Department of Surgery. He was a Clinical
Instructor with the University of Louisville while in private practice in
Louisville from 1994-2002.
Dr. Oldham is an Owensboro native and board-certified general surgeon
specializing in minimally invasive bariatric surgery. He graduated from
Southern Methodist University, the University of Louisville School Of Medicine
and Wright State University Department of Surgery. He practiced privately for
three years in Central Kentucky before concentrating his advanced laparoscopic
skills on bariatric surgery.
For more information on the Bariatric Surgery Program at Bluegrass
Bariatric Surgical Associates or the ROSE procedure, or to schedule a
consultation, call 859-543-1577 or visit http://www.bluegrassbariatrics.com/.
Media Inquiries:
Hollister Hovey
Lazar Partners
646-871-8482
hhovey@lazarpartners.com

SOURCE Bluegrass Bariatrics

Hollister Hovey of Lazar Partners, +1-646-871-8482, hhovey@lazarpartners.com,
for Bluegrass Bariatrics