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Belleville, NJ — Are you considering weight loss surgery? Clara Maaass Medical Center will offer a free informational session, “About Bariatric Surgery,” on February 18, 2009 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Belleville Founders Room located off of the Main Lobby in the Medical Center.
Naveen Ballem, M.D., Medical Director of the Bariatric Surgery Center will discuss what to expect during and after the surgery as well as the surgery’s benefits and risks.
Certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Ballem has partnered with League Ahmed, MD, and his staff of specialized nurses, dieticians and a bariatric coordinator, to provide bariatric services including LAP-BAND™ surgery, Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery, and StomaphyX Gastric Bypass Revisional surgery.
The LAP-BAND™ surgery is minimally invasive, requires a shorter hospital stay than standard surgery, and is completely reversible. It involves placing a band around the stomach to create a small gastric pouch, limiting the amount of food that the stomach will hold at any time. The inflatable ring controls the flow of food from this smaller pouch to the rest of the digestive tract. The patient will feel comfortably full with a small amount of food for several hours, reducing the urge to eat between meals.
The Lap-Band system is for patients who are 100 pounds or more above their ideal weight or whose Body Mass Index is greater than 35 with medical comorbidities as recommended by the National Institute of Health (NIH). The Lap-Band is placed laparoscopically, and can be adjusted in an outpatient setting, tailoring it the the specific needs of each individual patient.
“Weight loss surgery is a big commitment and lifestyle change,” said Dr. Ballem. “Patients need to be dedicated to the entire process, which goes beyond surgery. In order to improve their quality of life, patients have to commit to a healthier lifestyle which involves changes in diet, exercise and behavior.”
Dr. Ballem completed his General Surgery residency in New York City at the Harlem Hospital Center at Columbia University. He completed his Fellowship training in Endocrine and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center. He also served as a Clinical Instructor at the Cleveland Clinic's Medical School. He has extensively researched, published, and presented at both national and international conferences on morbid obesity and the benefits of Bariatric Surgery.
To register for this free event, please call 1.888.724.7123, prompt # 1. Attendees may park for free in the parking deck.
Date: January 30, 2009
CONTACT:
Cathy Toscano
July 10, 2008
(973) 450-2996
ctoscano@barnabashealth.org
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