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WLS Broadcast from University Hospital
http://www.or-live.com/healthalliance/1209/
A live webcast from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on June 28th. Viewers will have the ability to email questions to the OR for an on-camera response by the surgical team. A press release follows. A preview is available at: http://www.or-live.com/healthalliance/1209/rams/vnr.ram
UC Center for Surgical Weight Loss presents laparoscopic gastric bypass
Live Webcast: June 28, 2004 11:00am EDT (15:00 UTC)
Cincinnati — America's most common surgical procedure for weight loss will be demonstrated live on
www.OR-Live.com on Monday, June 28 at 11:00 am EDT from The University Hospital. Keith Gersin, MD, director of surgical endoscopy and laparoscopy at UC Center for Surgical Weight Loss will demonstrate a laparoscopic Roux-En-Y gastric bypass to treat morbidly obese patients. Timothy J. Broderick MD, director of the UC Surgeons, division of gastrointestinal and endocrine surgery will moderate the live event. Calvin A. Selwyn, Jr. MD, assistant professor, will assist Dr. Gersin with the procedure.
More than 55% of American adults are overweight. 11.5 million are morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is defined by a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40, generally 100lbs overweight. This level of obesity causes co-morbid conditions including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea, joint pain and arthritis, depression, menstrual irregularity and stress incontinence. Six percent of US healthcare expenditures are spent on treating co-morbid conditions of obesity. It is estimated that 300,000 deaths occur annually in America due to morbid obesity.
Through six small incisions about an inch in length, Dr. Gersin will use a miniature video camera and laparoscopic instruments to reduce the size of the stomach. The procedure is called a Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass (RGB) and is the most commonly performed type of weight loss surgery in America today. Several rows of surgical staples are placed across the stomach to divide the stomach and create a 1- to 2-ounce "pouch." Then, a limb of intestine is connected to this pouch to bypass enough of the remaining intestine so that normal absorption will not occur. The procedure limits how much food can be eaten and how much will be absorbed by the body.
