Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at The NEW Program at Community Hospital of Long Beach

Did you know that weight loss with bariatric surgery is associated with significant improvement or resolution of chronic obesity and its related comorbidities?  It's time to change your life and improve your health!

 What is Laparoscopic Surgery?

• Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimally invasive surgery, is where operations are performed using a narrow magnification camera, called a laparoscope, and narrow surgical instruments.
• Only small incisions are needed, which helps to optimize patient comfort and outcomes. 
• Gallbladder surgery was one of the first laparoscopic procedures developed because the skills involved are relatively basic to learn. Whereas gallbladder surgery is routine among most practicing surgeons, other procedures are much more advanced and require specialized training, especially bariatric surgery.
  

Who Should Perform Laparoscopic Surgery?

• A surgeon must be an expert in the specialty of laparoscopic surgery to perform these procedures safely.
• The development of this expertise requires a surgeon to learn the most simple laparoscopic procedure first, for example gallbladder surgery, and gradually progress to the next level. At each stage, the surgeon should become proficient at that level, prior to advancing to a more difficult procedure. This minimizes risk and ensures that patients will be treated safely.
• Incredible advances have occurred over the past ten years in the techniques and skill of laparoscopic surgery specialists who now routinely perform many complex surgical procedures.

Laparoscopic surgery for obesity is one of the most complex intestinal surgeries being performed today. Therefore, laparoscopic weight loss surgery should only be performed by surgeons who have considerable skill in performing advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Why Perform Surgery Laparoscopically?

Study after study has documented the benefits of laparoscopic surgery. Most obviously, post-operative pain is markedly decreased. These incisions cut very little skin, muscle and nerve and thus cause much less pain than the large traditional incisions used for surgery. Patients can breathe, cough, and get out of bed to walk much easier without the typical pain from traditional open surgery. This translates into a decreased risk of certain complications such as pneumonia, blood clots and other problems seen after surgery. Because laparoscopic cameras magnify the images on a large TV screen, we can see the intestines and internal organs much better than through a traditional incision. This allows for an exactness and visual sensitivity that cannot be achieved with the unaided eye.

Minimally invasive surgery techniques have cut recovery times for many operations from weeks (or months) to days. The more "cutting" done by the surgeon, the higher the stress on your body. With more stress there is an increase in heart and kidney problems as well as a decrease in immune function. Smaller incisions also result in a much smaller chance of developing significant infections. There is also a decreased formation of internal scar tissue, or adhesions. Of course, the incisions after laparoscopy are often barely visible after they have completely healed.

These advanced laparoscopic surgery techniques required for bariatric surgery are difficult to learn and require extensive experience. You need to be certain that your surgeon is truly an expert before you agree to have that surgeon perform this type of operation.




Why laparoscopic surgery at The N.E.W. Program at Community Hospital of Long Beach ?

The bariatric surgeons at The N.E.W. Program at Community Hospital of Long Beach's have taken the time to develop their highly specialized expertise in minimally invasive surgery. Advanced laparoscopic surgery is far too complex to learn during a weekend, or even a week-long course and most general surgery training programs do not provide enough training for their graduates to perform the more advanced laparoscopic procedures. In fact, the field of advanced laparoscopic surgery is now a recognized sub-specialty with comprehensive, year-long training programs to teach surgeons these specialized skills.

Community Hospital of Long Beach's bariatric surgery program features:

• Highly skilled OR team.  Our expert surgical team is comprised of seasoned nursing and operating room technicians.  The bariatric surgical staff's attention to detail and commitment to excellence is unparalleled.
• Personalized attention of our surgical team.  Our OR and Recovery Unit staff appreciate the importance of communication and keep in close contact with our patients' families. 
• Easy access and registration for patients.  We strive to reduce your concerns about your surgical procedure as we assist you throughout the entire process.