On the Leading Edge of Weight Loss
Pitt County Memorial Hospital has recently reintroduced LAP-BAND procedures for weight loss. Traditional gastric bypass is also offered.
Pitt County Memorial Hospital is at the leading edge of weight-loss surgical procedures and care for the morbidly obese. And the hospital has been perched on that edge for 30 years. Dr. Walter Pories founded the program in the 1970s‚ when most of the country was not yet attuned to the dangers posed by obesity. And though Pories has moved on to head the Metabolic Institute at East Carolina University‚ the hospital remains a site for key developments and clinical trials in the field. “We’ve been ahead of the curve‚ both in realizing the disease can be treated surgically and understanding obesity’s impact‚” says Jay Briley‚ administrator of the Bariatric Surgical Program of PCMH. “We knew it was the right thing to do‚ with obesity being such a prominent problem.” The latest development at Pitt County is the reintroduction of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band‚ an alternative to gastric bypass surgery. The hospital‚ in conjunction with the Brody School of Medicine at ECU and Southern Surgical Associates‚ began performing the procedure in 2006.
In the LAP-BAND procedure‚ a small pouch is created in the upper part of the stomach‚ limiting the amount of food a patient may ingest. It was actually the procedure’s second go-around at PCMH. The hospital participated in the Food & Drug Administration original trial of the LAP – BAND in the ’90s‚ though the procedure has been modified in the interim and the results are much improved. Over a two-month stretch in late 2007‚ the hospital performed 24 LAP-BAND procedures on those patients considered good candidates for the technique. The hospital still performs the traditional gastric bypass surgeries‚ as well. PCMH was recently named a bariatric surgery center of excellence by the Surgery Review Corporation and the American Society of Bariatric Surgery‚ a sign of the respect the hospital‚ ECU and the Southern Surgical Associates have earned in the field. The honor is given to hospitals that have “improved patient safety and advocacy and the opportunity to improve bariatric surgery practice through comparative treatment plans and research.” As much as the hospital is praised for its surgical work‚ its reputation for obesity care is also built on its pre- and post-op efforts. Unlike some procedures‚ bariatric care requires thorough lifestyle changes by its patients to ensure the long-term success of the treatment. The hospital’s team of nurses‚ exercise physiologists‚ nutritionists and psychological caregivers work together with patients to ensure the weight-loss opportunities possible through surgery come to fruition. “We have to make sure we have a comprehensive approach to care for these patients‚” says Dan Drake‚ the manager of the hospital’s bariatric programs. And sometimes‚ the approach includes saying no. Hospital officials caution that its bariatric procedures are not designed for cosmetic purposes‚ but for those individuals whose weight creates serious medical risks.
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Pitt County Memorial Hospital has recently reintroduced LAP-BAND procedures for weight loss. Traditional gastric bypass is also offered.
Pitt County Memorial Hospital is at the leading edge of weight-loss surgical procedures and care for the morbidly obese. And the hospital has been perched on that edge for 30 years. Dr. Walter Pories founded the program in the 1970s‚ when most of the country was not yet attuned to the dangers posed by obesity. And though Pories has moved on to head the Metabolic Institute at East Carolina University‚ the hospital remains a site for key developments and clinical trials in the field. “We’ve been ahead of the curve‚ both in realizing the disease can be treated surgically and understanding obesity’s impact‚” says Jay Briley‚ administrator of the Bariatric Surgical Program of PCMH. “We knew it was the right thing to do‚ with obesity being such a prominent problem.” The latest development at Pitt County is the reintroduction of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band‚ an alternative to gastric bypass surgery. The hospital‚ in conjunction with the Brody School of Medicine at ECU and Southern Surgical Associates‚ began performing the procedure in 2006.
In the LAP-BAND procedure‚ a small pouch is created in the upper part of the stomach‚ limiting the amount of food a patient may ingest. It was actually the procedure’s second go-around at PCMH. The hospital participated in the Food & Drug Administration original trial of the LAP – BAND in the ’90s‚ though the procedure has been modified in the interim and the results are much improved. Over a two-month stretch in late 2007‚ the hospital performed 24 LAP-BAND procedures on those patients considered good candidates for the technique. The hospital still performs the traditional gastric bypass surgeries‚ as well. PCMH was recently named a bariatric surgery center of excellence by the Surgery Review Corporation and the American Society of Bariatric Surgery‚ a sign of the respect the hospital‚ ECU and the Southern Surgical Associates have earned in the field. The honor is given to hospitals that have “improved patient safety and advocacy and the opportunity to improve bariatric surgery practice through comparative treatment plans and research.” As much as the hospital is praised for its surgical work‚ its reputation for obesity care is also built on its pre- and post-op efforts. Unlike some procedures‚ bariatric care requires thorough lifestyle changes by its patients to ensure the long-term success of the treatment. The hospital’s team of nurses‚ exercise physiologists‚ nutritionists and psychological caregivers work together with patients to ensure the weight-loss opportunities possible through surgery come to fruition. “We have to make sure we have a comprehensive approach to care for these patients‚” says Dan Drake‚ the manager of the hospital’s bariatric programs. And sometimes‚ the approach includes saying no. Hospital officials caution that its bariatric procedures are not designed for cosmetic purposes‚ but for those individuals whose weight creates serious medical risks.
Additional Health Care Articles
World-Class Research and Treatment Coming with new Heart Institute