Min-Sheng's Bariatric Center welcomes Singapore nurses for clinical attachment

Min-sheng General Hospital has long been a leader for bariatric surgery in Asia. The Bariatic Center at Min-Sheng performs more than 450 bariatric surgeries a year, more than any other hospital in the region. One fourth of the Center’s patients are now people suffering from diabetes Type II with a profile that makes them candidates for potential diabetes remission after bariatric surgery. As a consequence, the Center is now referred to as the Center for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.

 Hospitals across the region are stepping up efforts to offer this kind of service, and doctors from Korea, Japan, Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam regularly attend training at Min-Sheng’s Bariatric Center under Professor Lee Wei-Jei, an authority on the subject for over ten years. Foreign hospitals are also keen to upgrade their nurses’ skills in the treatment of bariatric patients; Min-Sheng recently welcomed two nurses from Singapore General Hospital for a month-long clinical attachment to observe the hospital’s bariatric care program. Miss Foo focused her training on the screening process and case management of bariatric patients, whereas Miss Toh was more involved in the surgical nursing aspect of the program. They were both thrilled by the learning opportunities offered by the high volume of bariatric patients treated at Min-Sheng General Hospital.

Potential benefits of gastric plication in the treatment of obesity discussed at 3rd ADSS

Doctors who recently gathered at Min-Sheng General Hospital for the third Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit (ADSS) discussed the potential benefits and limitations of gastric plication in the treatment of obesity. Although surgical procedures like the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy have shown excellent results in the long term treatment of obesity, some patients are reluctant to undergo such a procedure which they see as too radical and irreversible (in the case of the gastrectomy).

Until recently, the only option for these patients was the gastric banding, a restrictive procedure that has been used for many years now. Unfortunately, studies have shown that although effective in reducing weight in the couple of years after the band was applied, the gastric banding success rates at five years and beyond dip dramatically. The procedure is also less suitable for Asian patients due to local diets that are rich in soft and semi-liquid foods which pass easily through the restrictive ring.

A gastric plication decreases the size of the stomach without removing sections of the stomach or implanting a restricting device. It decreases the volume of the stomach by folding the stomach inwardly, and suturing the folds, reducing the stomach volume and therefore limiting food intake. It is a relatively new procedure for people who want to reduce their weight, but are uncomfortable with the idea of having a part of their stomach removed or an assisting device implanted. The results following a gastric plication are encouraging; however the long term outcome has yet to be established. Yet, studies undertaken in Taiwan and elsewhere show that the procedure’s long term efficiency is improved when it is coupled with a gastric banding. In other words, the long term outcome is better for a combination of gastric plication and gastric banding than for these procedures when performed individually.

The bariatric center at Min-Sheng General Hospital has successfully performed nearly 4000 bariatric surgeries, and offers both the gastric plication, and a combination of plication and banding as an option for its patients.

Min-Sheng General Hospital to host 2nd Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit

Min-Sheng general Hospital in Taiwan will host the Second Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit (ADSS) July 7, 2010. Diabetes is a pandemic and its effects are particularly felt in Asia where it is putting an ever greater strain on public health care. Bariatric surgery has recently been extended to metabolic surgery because of the associated gut hormone change and Incretin Effect.

Organized by Min-Sheng Hospital's Bariatric & Diabetes Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, the Diabetes Association of the Republic of China, and the Taiwan association for Endoscopic Surgery, the summit will look into the current state of diabetes surgery, and discuss the latest surgical techniques and disease management practices. The summit will also feature a workshop with live surgery demonstrations, including the latest technique, the "duodenum-jejunum bypass + sleeve gastrectomy." Says Professor Lee Wei-Jei, Chaiman of the organizing committee and Honorary President of the Asia Pacific Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Society, "It is an appropriate time for gastro-intestinal metabolic surgeons in asia to get together, learn cutting edge techniques, and share personal and institutional experience in the management of the disease."

The First Asian Diabetes Surgery summit which took place in 2010 led to the launch of a large scale cooperative study of diabetes surgery in Asia. More than two hundred patients have been enrolled and followed up in the study so far, and its findings will be discussed at the second summit.