Min-Sheng’s Bariatric Center in Live-Surgery Transmission with Dubai

The GOSS (Gulf Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society) 2015 Conference featured a pre-congress live-surgery workshop. It was an opportunity for the attendees to observe renowned international specialists perform more advanced bariatric and metabolic surgeries, while showcasing the latest techniques and advances in the field.

 

 

The organizers had requested Min-Sheng General Hospital participates in the event with a two-hour live-transmission from its Bariatric Center in Taiwan. Professor Wei-Jei Lee and his team performed a Resectional RY with Limb Extension, a type of revisional laparoscopic metabolic surgery. The surgeons were answering questions from the audience while performing surgery.

 

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 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.

Min-Sheng presented with Excellence Service Award by TIHTC

Min-Sheng General Hospital was presented with the 2012 TIHTC Excellence Service Award for its contribution to the development and reputation of Taiwan’s medical services abroad. Established in 2002 by the Department of Health, the Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center (TIHTC) aims to develop international medical relations, and offers international medical training programs and other medical services.

Min-Sheng General Hospital has long been promoting its services overseas, and sees a steady flow of international patients attracted by the quality of care and service that it provides. The hospital’s reputation as an international center for bariatric surgery also lures doctors from many Asian countries seeking training in laparascopic surgical techniques.

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 Hospital hosts Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery workshop

In prelude to the first Asian Diabetes Surgery Summit that took place in its facilities, Min-Sheng General Hospital hosted a workshop on Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) featuring live demonstrations of different weight loss surgical procedures using this technique.

Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS), also referred to as single-port Access (SPA) surgery or laparoscopic endoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) is the latest development in laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive abdominal surgery performed through small incisions, using tiny video equipment to allow the surgeon to see what he is doing on the inside. The abdominal cavity is often inflated with gas in order to provide working space and small surgical tools pass through ports placed through the incisions enabling the surgeon to perform the procedure internally in the same way it would be done through an open incision.

The advantages of laparoscopic surgery stem from the small size of the incisions made during the procedure. Smaller incisions result in less blood loss during surgery, and in smaller wounds that reduce the risk of infection, are less painful, and shorten the recovery time. Other advantages are a better cosmetic effect and patients discharged sooner which lessens overall costs.

Often used for gastrointestinal, gynecologic and urology surgery, laparoscopic surgery has made tremendous progress over the past twenty years, and is now routinely performed for various bariatric (weight loss) procedures. Recent advances in technology have made it possible to reduce the number of entry ports necessary to safely perform this type of surgery, and skilled surgeons are now able to operate by making a single incision in the navel through which they insert the multiple-instrument access port. SILS offers outstanding cosmetic results since the only scar, hidden in the navel, is barely visible, however it has not yet been established whether it significantly adds to the other advantages of conventional laparoscopic surgery.

Surgeons from across Asia and Taiwan who attended the workshop got to see, live from Min-Sheng Hospital’s operating rooms, several types of weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve, gastric bypass) performed using the single incision laparoscopic (SILS) technique.

Min-Sheng General Hospital is a leading center for Bariatric (weight loss) surgery in Asia.