MDNews - Long Island

COVER FEATURE SURGEONS FOR SUCCESS THE SURGICAL TEAM at the Bariatric and Wellness Program at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center is headed by James A. Sapala, M.D., FACS, FASMBS, who serves as the Director of Bariatric Surgery, and Farhad Anoosh, M.D., FACS, FASMBS, a minimally invasive bariatric surgeon. Dr. Sapala received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He contin- ued his training with a residency and internship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Remaining in the Midwest for the early portion of his career, Dr. Sapala practiced as an attending physician and surgeon at numerous hospitals. He then began cultivating a specialty in bariatric surgery by serving as Chief of Bariatric Surgery for Albion Community Hospital, Thorn Hospital, Addison Community Hospital and St. John Detroit Riverview Hospital. Before coming to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Sapala — who has served as a Senior Board Member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery Foundation — practiced surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital–Manhattan, Lutheran Medical Center and Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn, where he also served as the Chief of Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Anoosh completed his general surgery residency at New York Medical College and Weill College at Cornell University where he became chief resident in general surgery. Before making the move to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, he completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery and served as a minimally invasive and bariatric surgery clinical instructor at the University of Pittsburgh. The bariatric team at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center (L–R): Jennifer DaTorre, certified medical assistant; Farhad Anoosh, M.D., FACS, FASMBS; Mary Zotos, M.S., R.D.; Catherine Ortiz; Alicen Johnson, receptionist; and James A. Sapala, M.D., FACS, FASMBS Micropouch, surgeries at the Bariatric and Wellness Program can be performed laparoscopically. Dr. Anoosh utilizes specialized instruments and endoscopes and small ports to access the stomach and small intestine through four to five small incisions in the abdomen. "Surgery is like trauma to the patient, so laparoscopic surgery is less trauma for the patient," says Dr. Anoosh. "The procedures cause less pain and minimize the chance of wound infection, hernia and adhesions. Patients have shorter hospital stays — they go home faster and have minimal scars from the surgery. These are the things that really make a difference." The surgical care team at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center includes anesthesiologists and highly trained operating room nurses handpicked by Dr. Sapala to maximize patient care and outcomes. In addition, the Bariatric and Wellness Program is supported by 10 nurses on the surgery floor who have been specifically trained in bariatric care. … to Healthier Futures Once patients have completed the surgical component of their treatment plans, they embark on the postoperative task of sustaining the work related to food choices and exercise they started 10 | Long Island MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM before surgery and strengthening healthy habits. Fortunately, Dr. Sapala, Dr. Anoosh and Zotos continue their relationships with patients long term — for a lifetime, in fact. Patients are scheduled for follow-up care once a month for the first three months postsurgery, after which they are seen two more times in the first year and then annually. Follow-up visits consist of monitoring any changes in vitamin levels or blood chemistries, as well as addressing any questions or concerns of the patient. Surgeons in the Bariatric and Wellness Program also perform reconstructive surgery on a significant number of patients with excess abdominal skin following weight loss. These proce- dures help address medical issues — such as staph infections, rashes and skin ulcerations — that may appear in loose skin after a patient has lost the majority of his or her excess weight. The abdominal skin reconstruction also offers patients a sense of closure to their weight-loss journey with the Bariatric and Wellness Program. For more information about the Bariatric and Wellness Program at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, visit www.brookhavenhospital.org. ■

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