MDNews - San Antonio

Cover+ Feature New Weight Loss Solutions Center at Southwest General Hospital offers Bariatric Surgery and Total Body Enhancement By Jennifer Webster Nilesh Patel, MD, MeDical Director of Bariatrics at southwest GeNeral hosPital, aND Deowall chattar-cora, MD, BoarD-certifieD Plastic surGeoN, collaBorate to ProviDe a life-affirMiNG PatieNt exPerieNce aND suPerior outcoMes. AT SOUTHweST geNeRAL HOSPITAL, patients under- going bariatric surgery interact with experienced medical staff who adhere to a consistent and streamlined process, and demonstrate excellence in surgery as well as commitment to patient well-being. An affiliation between the hospital and Texas Bariatric Specialists offers patients care in their home communities in conjunction with surgery at an American Society of Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Surgery-designated Center of Excellence. "The bariatric surgery program at Southwest General is unique," Dr. Patel says. "We are a true collaboration between physicians and a hospital program. Our team approach produces excellent results." Also collaborating with Southwest General Hospital and Texas Bariatric Specialists, Dr. Chattar-Cora completes the circle of care by offering patients reconstructive procedures that allow for improved health, hygiene and cosmesis after dramatic weight loss resulting from successful bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is available at a Center of Excellence facility to a patient population across an increasingly wide geographic area through supporting offices in Corpus Christi, Laredo, Del Rio and Austin. Other locations include Killeen, Boerne and New Braunfels. To complement a corporate office in Shavano Park, a southwest San Antonio clinic and a Westover Hills clinic are in the planning stages. Patients receive screening, medical care, and dietary and psychological counseling at the local office and travel to Southwest General Hospital for their surgical procedures. Dr. Patel says the resulting process offers care close to home combined 6 | San Antonio MD News ■ mDNewS.COm with the safety and technical experience of a certified Center of Excellence hospital. Techniques in Bariatric Surgery Dr. Patel most commonly performs the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (accounting for approximately 60 percent of his recent surgeries), with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as second most frequent. "These percentages vary from month to month," he says. "The sleeve is increasing in popularity because it is less invasive than bypass surgeries but offers similar results." He adds that, meanwhile, laparoscopic banding surgery has become less common. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass involves "rerouting" the digestive tract and reducing the capacity of the stomach. In this procedure, the surgeon also bypasses a portion of the small intestine. As a result, food absorption and metabolic patterns are changed. Additionally, as in restrictive-type bariatric surgeries, the patient becomes full after eating a small amount of food. Many factors determine whether a bariatric procedure will be successful. Some determinants lie with the patient, some with the physician and others with the surrounding organizations and environment, Dr. Patel explains. At Southwest General Hospital, he works to optimize every factor for patient success. An effective System "Patients need appropriate preparation for surgery," Dr. Patel says. "We screen patients thoroughly, help them select the right procedure and conduct pre- and post-operative

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