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For Immediate Release
4/27/2009
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Sinai Hospital Physician Performs Rare Single-Incision Surgery For Weight Loss
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Sandra Crockett
410.601.5528
scrocket@lifebridgehealth.org
Jill Bloom
410.601.5025
jbloom@lifebridgehealth.org
April 27, 2009
SINAI HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN PERFORMS RARE SINGLE-INCISION FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Alex Gandsas, M.D., M.B.A., head of the Division of Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, successfully completed a weight loss operation known as "gastric sleeve” using a single keyhole incision.
"It is a very complicated procedure. Usually this type of surgery takes four to six incisions,” Gandsas said. The gastric sleeve is a relatively new approach in bariatric surgery. It involves the removal of up to 85 percent of the stomach. Although the stomach is smaller, its function remains the same.
The surgery, which Gandsas performed this month, is believed to be the first successful single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SILS) performed in Maryland. "The less incisions, the better it is for the patients,” Gandsas said.
The patient, a 26-year-old female who weighed 275 pounds, agreed to the surgery because one incision means less scarring, less pain and a faster recovery. "I had tried dieting but it just wasn't happening,” she said.
The Howard County, Maryland, resident knows the surgery is a step in the right direction but it is not a quick fix. "I still will diet and exercise and focus on good nutrition,” she said. With the combination of the surgery and lifestyle changes, she is looking forward to a smaller and healthier body.
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore is part of LifeBridge Health, one of Baltimore's largest health organizations that includes Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and Jewish Convalescent & Nursing Home. For more information, visit
www.lifebridgehealth.org.
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