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Choosing a Surgeon
Choosing a Surgeon
By the television and written press, one would think that bariatric
surgery is a new field. However, gastric partitioning, as with the
Roux en Y gastric bypass, has been practiced for about 30 years. Although
not a designated subspecialty of General Surgery, bariatric surgery
is a field which requires a set of unique surgical skills, but more
importantly experience and dedication to the performance of the operation,
and a commitment of the surgeon, and the hospital, to the long term
follow-up care of these patients.
Just as there is discrimination in society, many physicians and surgeons
discriminate against the morbidly obese, feeling that "if you
would only quit eating, you would lost weight." Other surgeons
"dabble" in obesity surgery, doing an occasional procedure.
This is becoming more prevalent with the advent of laparoscopic procedures
and laparoscopic banding, which has resulted in more surgeons "trying
a few cases." There is no commitment to obesity surgery, and
it is a set up for failure.
You should look at the experience and commitment of your surgeon to
the field of obesity surgery. Is there a program of education and
follow-up to help you maximize your success? Does the surgeon have
the experience to choose the right procedure for you, and does he
have the experience to recognize and treat any possible complications?
You would not go to a heart surgeon who read about heart bypass
in a book and decided he could probably do that procedure. You would
not get on an airplane with an inexperienced pilot and bet your
life that he can figure out how to fly the airplane.
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Obesity Surgery Center
1250 Jesse Jewell Parkway
Suite 300
Gainesville, Georgia 30501
Toll Free: 877-921-0110
Fax: 770-534-2555 |
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