Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is a significant public health problem in our country today–about one-third of adults age 20 and older are overweight and nearly one-third more are obese. Obesity is the second-most-frequent cause of preventable death, after smoking, and it can cause or contribute to many serious medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, sleep apnea, degenerative joint disease and certain cancers.

The Program for LIFE™

Saint Peter's University Hospital's bariatric surgery team is led by Doctors Alexander D. Abkin, Nicholas A. Bertha and Vincent Iannace, who have performed more than 4,500 laparoscopic procedures. Their unique approach to weight loss, called The Program for LIFE™ ( www.myprogramforlife.com), includes preoperative consultation to help individuals select the procedures most suitable to their needs, as well as postoperative support to ensure long-term success. The multidisciplinary approach to weight loss includes psychological evaluation, nutritional counseling, long-term medical follow-up and peer group support. Monthly weight-loss surgical seminars are held in the Sister Marie de Pazzi Conference Center at Saint Peter’s University Hospital.

After meeting with each patient, our team offers one of two types of procedures:

• A malabsorptive procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, so that it holds small amounts of food and reroutes the small intestine so that food passes through a limited portion. The result is that fewer calories and nutrients are absorbed.
• A restrictive procedure, which reduces the capacity of the stomach to hold food and slows the rate at which it leaves the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness. One type of laparoscopic restrictive surgery is the LAP-BAND^® system, which uses an adjustable gastric band designed to help the patient lose excess body weight, improve weight-related health conditions and enhance quality of life.