5th Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit held in Taipei

The 5th ADSS (Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit) was held in Taipei on Saturday, October 25. The event was organized by The Taiwan Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Diabetes Association of the Republic of China, and Min-Sheng General Hospital. This year's event was presided by Professor LeeWei-Jei and featured a couple of eminent specialits from the USA who shared their experience with surgeons from Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.

 

 

 

At the first ADSS in 2010 the participants launched an Asian initiative to study the effects of metabolic surgery on diabetic patients. The participating centers have since enrolled and followed about 2,000 metabolic patients from six Asian countries and territories who underwent surgery, enabling them to compile a valuable database to be used for research on the subject.

 

5,000 cases! A new milestone for Min-Sheng’s Bariatric Center

 The Asia-Pacific Endoscopic Metabolic and Bariatric Surgical Center at Min-Sheng General Hospital reached a new milestone in September when Professor Wei-Jei Lee and his team performed their 5,000^th weight loss surgery. The Center, the largest of its kind in Taiwan and one of the leading centers in Asia, now treats on average 400 to 500 patients a year and offers a complete range of procedures for the treatment of obesity and the metabolic diseases often associated to it.

 

 

Since 2012, the Bariatric Center has been operating two distinct units for weight loss and diabetic patients. The team is made of surgeons, endocrinologists, cases managers, bariatric nurses, and dieticians. The Center’s reputation outside of Taiwan is now such that patients from abroad who want to undergo surgery travel to Min-Sheng. The Center also attracts foreign specialists keen to learn the latest techniques with Professor Lee and his team.

Min-Sheng hosts 4th Cross-Straits Symposium on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Min-Sheng General Hospital hosted the 4th Cross-Straits Symposium on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery on November 24, 2014. The meeting was chaired by Professor Lee Wei-Jei and brought together leading specialists in the field of bariatric and metabolic surgery from Taiwan, Hong-Kong, and China, who discussed the latest techniques and shared their experience.

 

Although China only recently embraced bariatric surgery, it is now only second to India in Asia (ex-Middle East) for the number of procedures performed each year. After doubling every year, the number of surgeries performed in China now seems to be reaching a plateau at 5,000 procedures in 2014. As a comparison, although the population of Taiwan represents less than 2 percent of the population of China, just over 2,000 bariatric and metabolic surgeries will have been performed in Taiwan this year (around 500 at Min-Sheng’s Bariatric Center only).  

Min-Sheng General Hospital Presents Important Study Findings at SAGES 2014 Meeting

Dr. Abdullah M. Almulaifi travelled to the 2014 Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery (SAGES) Meeting in Salt Lake City, USA, to present the results of an important study conducted at Min-Sheng’s Bariatric Center.
 

 

Min-Sheng’s Bariatric Center, lead by Pr. Lee Wei-Jei, has conducted a comparative study of more than 2,000 patients who had undergone by-pass surgery at the Center, and Dr. Almulaifi presented results related to Intractable Marginal Ulcers that sometimes appear after gastric bypass surgery in mordibly obese patients, and can be a significant complication. The scientific committee of the SAGES Meeting were impressed by the quality of the study, and particularly interested in the results regarding “smoking” as a predictor of the development of ulcers. This study is indeed the first one that took into account the number of cigarettes smoked daily by patients, and the findings may lead to changes in the guidelines for post-surgical treatment.

 

Dr. Abdullah M. Almulaifi, from Kuwait, is currently a fellow in Min-Sheng’s Minimally Invasive Bariatric and Colorectal Surgery Fellowship Program. This program, which has clinical and academic components, offers the opportunity for international surgeons with experience in minimally invasive bariatric surgery to greatly improve their skills and assist in hundreds of cases of surgeries covering the entire spectrum of bariatric surgery.

Min-Sheng attends health fair in Beijing

Min-Sheng General hospital was one of four Taiwanese hospitals that recently attended a health fair in Beijing, where they promoted their core specialties and other services of interest to the Chinese public. The initiative was supported by TAITRA, the government body in charge of developing external trade, with the aim to attract more Chinese patients to Taiwan's top hospitals. The quality of care of Taiwanese hospitals is well known in China and the prices charged here are also very competitive. Moreover, since language and culture are quite similar, Taiwan makes for a more convenient alternative to other countries in the region.

 

 

Many Chinese tour operators already include some kind of medical activity - usually a health screening or a light cosmetic procedure - in their packages in order to qualify for a medical tourism visa, however, since independent Chinese travelers are now also allowed to travel to Taiwan, some are looking for other procedures. Min-Sheng General Hospital has this year welcomed several patients from the Chinese mainland who traveled to Taiwan to undergo weight loss and metabolic surgery.

Min-Sheng promotes its Bariatric Center in China

The Asia pacific Endoscopic Metabolic and bariatric Surgical Center at Min-Sheng General Hospital regularly treats foreign patients, mostly from North America. Obesity and diabetes are becoming increasingly prevalent in China, but the public over there is not yet familiar with the surgical options available to treat these conditions.

 

 

Nevertheless, several Chinese patients have already made the trip to Taiwan this year to undergo bariatric surgery at Min-Sheng General Hospital. Two of these patients attended a press conference organized in Beijing last week to promote Taiwan’s medical expertise. Professor Wei-Jei Lee, the Director of the Bariatric center, was also on hand to explain the potential benefits of bariatric and metabolic surgery in the treatment of diabetes and obesity.

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.

Min-Sheng General Hospital to host First Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit

Min-Sheng General hospital in Taiwan will host the First Asian Diabetes Summit July 16 and 17, 2010. The summit will look at the medical and surgical aspects of Incretin based Therapy. 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 is sponsored by the Taiwan Medical Association for the Study of Obesity, Taiwan Surgical Society of gastroenterology, and equipment maker Covidien. Speakers from across Asia and the United States will present the latest medical and surgical developments in the treatment of Diabetes Type II. Says Professor Lee Wei-Jei, Chairman 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 work with endocrinologists and all colleagues involved in the treatment of diabetes, to get together and share personal and institutional experience in the management of this disease.”

There will be a pre-congress live surgery workshop featuring Single Incision Laporoscopic Surgery (SILS) and Gastrointestinal Metabolic Surgery at Min-Sheng Hospital’s Minimally Invasive Surgery Center on Friday, July 16 with the main scientific congress taking place in the hospital's auditorium Saturday, July 17. Min-Sheng General Hospital is a leading center for bariatric surgery in Asia, and received JCI CCP Certification (formerly known as DCSC) for its Diabetes Mellitus Type II Program in 2009.