In response to growing awareness of the benefits of weight loss surgery, CSA has made two major changes to our bariatric surgery program. First, we now offer only the Lap-Band System for weight loss and no longer offer gastric bypass. This change resulted from the proven efficacy of the Lap-Band as well as the lower risk of major complications or death from Lap-Band surgery when compared to gastric bypass. Lap-Band insertion is now routinely performed on an outpatient basis. Because of the less invasive nature of the surgery, the risk of death from Lap-Band placement is just one tenth that of death following gastric bypass. The band results in slower weight loss, but has the advantages of requiring no division or anastamosis of the GI tract, is adjustable to achieve the desired rate of weight loss, is reversible in the face of pregnancy or major illness, and is much less expensive for patients without insurance benefits.
The second change is the addition of a second surgeon to perform Lap-Band surgery. Dr. Walter Peters has been trained and credentialled to perform the placements along with Dr. James Pitt, who has been performing Lap-Band surgery since 2004.
Informational seminars are offered twice monthly through Boone Hospital Center as well as in other communities on an occasional basis. Please check out our website, www.columbiabariatric.com for more information.
The seventh annual Surgical Symposium, co-sponsored by Columbia Surgical Associates and Boone Hospital Center, will be held November 17, 2007. A broad range of topics will be discussed including diverticular disease, hernia surgery, and morbid obesity. Vascular topics will include endovascular laser therapy for varicose veins. Breast cancer will be discussed in depth with a focus on radiographic evaluation and current multi-modality treatment.
Faculty will include CSA surgeonsas well as other Boone Hospital physicians. The Vincent P. Gurucharri lecture will be presented by Dr. Ira Kodner, a noted colorectal surgeon and expert in the field of Medical Ethics.
The Symposium is unique in presenting surgical topics with an emphasis on primary care providers. Registration materials will be sent separately. For further information, visit our Symposium page.
Dr. John Adams completed his term as president of the Missouri Chapter of the ACS at the chapter’s annual meeting in June. He will continue to serve as the chair of the website committee for the chapter.
Dr. Walter Peters was elected as vice-president of the Missouri Chapter of the ACS and will serve a one year term.
Drs. Erik Grossmann and Peters presented the CSA experience with Hand Assisted Laparoscopic Colon Resections in the Morbidly Obese. In the past two years, fourteen morbidly obese patients have successfully undergone HAL colon resections for a variety of indications. The median length of hospital stay was only three days and none required conversion to laparotomy. As far as we can determine, this is the largest reported experience to date.
Dr. Adams presented the CSA experience with superficial femoral artery stenting for peripheral vascular disease. These procedures, performed by Drs. Adams, Paul Humphrey and Rick Coats, have nearly eliminated the need for femoral-popliteal bypass procedures.
Dr. Peters gave an invited lecture on the evidence based evolution in the surgical treatment of colon cancer over the past twenty years.
