Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/55875
their weight loss goals," says Alan Saber, MD, MS, FACS, FSMBS, director of the Bariatric Surgery, Metabolic & Nutrition Center at UH and director of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery at UH Case Medical Center. Dr. Saber was fellowship-trained in bariatric and advanced minimally invasive surgery at Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Weston, Florida. Since joining UH two years ago, he has been an area leader in the development of minimally invasive bariatric procedures. "We prepare patients thoroughly for the lifestyle changes they are going to need to make to lose weight and keep it off," says Dr. Saber. "Working closely with many other disciplines, we do everything pos- sible, including offering free educational seminars and free medical weight loss programs to set patients up for success." The Benefits of Bariatric Surgery In the early 1990s, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) acknowledged the benefits of bariatric surgery in select patients, including those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or over who have tried but failed nonsurgical weight loss programs. Patients with a BMI of 35-40 and one or more high-risk co-morbidity, such as diabetes or hypertension, may also be considered for bariatric surgery. "Weight loss surgery procedures can now be done with extremely low morbid- ity and mortality— less than 1 percent, according to recent research. It is no longer considered to be high risk, and the health benefits [see sidebar on next page] are overwhelming," says Leena Khaitan, MD, MPH, FACS, associate director of the Bariatric Surgery, Metabolic & Nutrition Center at UH and director of Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery at UH Geauga Medical Center in Chardon. Fellowship trained in minimally invasive surgery at Vanderbilt University, and director of Bariatric Surgery at Emory prior to coming to UH, Dr. Khaitan has been part of UH's surgical staff since 2007. "There used to be a much higher risk of hernia, wound infection, blood loss and pain with bariatric surgeries," she explains. "Now that we can do them with just a few small incisions, or even a single incision, those risks are minimal. Patients are up and walking around much sooner and are back to work within a couple of weeks." Over the past decade, bariatric surgery has rapidly evolved as new procedures MARCH-APRIL 2012 n MDNEWS.COM n MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 35 PHOTOS © JOE SMITHBERGER, SMITHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY, NORTH CANTON