Sacred Heart offers non-surgical bariatric surgery alternative

Sacred Heart's Institute for Surgical Weight Loss now offers a non-surgical procedure to modify previous gastric surgeries.
The endoscopic technique, called StomaphyX, was approved by the FDA in 2007 and helps to further shrink the size of the stomach. When compared to traditional revisional bariatric surgery, the new technique provides advantages such as no incisions or scars, less pain, a lower rate of complications, little or no hospital stay and a much quicker recovery.
During the StomaphyX procedure, a flexible endoscope is passed through the mouth and advanced into the stomach, carrying a fiber-optic camera and a tubular surgical tool. Stomach tissue is then pulled by suction into the tubular device and 10 to 20 fasteners are placed strategically into the inside lining of the stomach, creating pleats in the tissue and reducing the size of the stomach's pouch. The smaller stomach capacity allows the patient to feel full and satisfied with less food, promoting further weight loss
 "Sacred Heart is proud to offer the first natural orifice surgery available in the region as a non-invasive remedy for a failed or partially functioning gastric bypass," says Dr. Jeffrey Lord, medical director of the Sacred Heart Institute of Surgical Weight Loss. Dr Lord, a nationally recognized expert in the field of minimally invasive bariatric surgery, and his colleague, Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, have both received intensive training in the new procedure.
"StomaphyX is a particularly attractive alternative for revisional surgeries, which traditionally have been very complex and dangerous because they involve incisions in the skin for access to the organs and cutting around the organs to free the necessary area for suturing," explained Dr. Lord.
The new procedure is not currently covered by insurance policies.
The Sacred Heart Institute for Surgical Weight Loss helps clinically obese patients achieve significant weight loss through surgery, avoid serious diseases and conditions associated with obesity and begin the journey to a healthier lifestyle. The Sacred Heart Institute for Surgical Weight Loss is located at 5149 North Ninth Avenue, Suite G-32, in Pensacola.
For more information about the Sacred Heart Institute for Surgical Weight Loss call (850) 416-7546 or visit online at www.sacred-heart.org/weightlosssurgery.