Mather Hospital recently marked a new milestone: surgeons performing the hospital’s 10,000th bariatric surgery. The hospital offers gastric bypass, revisional surgery, gastric band, and sleeve gastrectomy for weight loss.
The 10,000th surgery, a sleeve gastrectomy, was performed by, Dr. Arif Ahmad, Director of the Center of Excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery™. The procedure involves removing part of the stomach to help reduce food intake. The Center of Excellence provides support for patients before and after weight loss surgery. In addition to Dr. Ahmad, the team includes nurses and registered dietitians. A support group allows patients to share experiences and help keep them on track to achieve their weight loss goals.
“We are so pleased to be able to transform 10,000 lives with impeccable results and expert compassionate care,” Dr. Ahmad said. “It’s not just about the number, our outstanding results in terms of safety and success have earned us the recognition of multiple organizations that assess quality such as Healthgrades and others. We also take personal interest in each of our patients.” Dr. Ahmad runs monthly informational seminars at the hospital.
Some procedures done by the bariatrics team are also non-surgical, such as the intragastric balloon, where a soft balloon is inserted into the stomach. The balloon helps to limit food intake, and the patient remains in a medical weight management program. The balloon is removed after six months.
Dr. Ahmad founded the bariatrics program in 2004 and in 2011 he was the first bariatrics surgeon on Long Island to use the da Vinci robotic system during a procedure. He has been performing bariatric surgeries for twenty-five years. The robotic surgery program at Mather Hospital was the first to be named The Center of Excellence in New York State.
