Bariatric Surgeon Performs First Stomach Folding Procedure in Kentucky.

ROSWELL, GA, August 31, 2011 (Press-News.org) Lexington weight loss surgery surgeon Dr. G. Derek Weiss of Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates, performed the first Laparoscopic Greater Curvature Plication (LGCP) procedure in the state of Kentucky on January 17, 2011, at Central Baptist Hospital (CBH). LGCP is a new type of minimally invasive weight loss surgery that involves oversewing the outer part of the stomach so that it holds considerably less food. This procedure requires no cutting, bypassing or removal of the stomach. LGCP was pioneered by renowned surgeon Dr. Philip Schauer, Director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at The Cleveland Clinic, whose LGCP patients have averaged a loss of 53 percent of excess body weight in the first year.

Dr. Weiss, Director of Bariatric Surgery at Central Baptist Hospital, was one of an elite group of surgeons -one of only 12 surgeons chosen throughout the United States - to be among the first trained on the LGCP procedure by Dr. Schauer himself .

"We can reduce the stomach volume by more two-thirds without removing any of the stomach, because we're not cutting or stapling," Dr. Schauer explained in December 2010 after completing a pilot of the LGCP procedure. "Patients lose weight with gastric plication because their stomach is much smaller. It fills to capacity with a much smaller amount of food, so patients feel full sooner and therefore eat less."

At Central Baptist Hospital, Dr. Weiss performed this 90-minute laparoscopic procedure on a patient with a history of morbid obesity, severe hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea.

Dr. Weiss said preliminary results of the new minimally invasive procedure are similar to outcomes achieved with the sleeve gastrectomy, a laparoscopic weight loss surgery Lexington and other Kentucky clinics offer that involves removing the outer 85 percent of the stomach. The LGCP procedure currently requires only a one-night stay in the hospital for most patients and costs much less than other minimally invasive weight loss surgical procedures available today.

Drs. Weiss and Oldham have been performing minimally invasive weight loss surgical procedures at CBH since 2007 and are the exclusive providers of bariatric surgical services in the Baptist Hospital System. CBH is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The hospital's Surgical Weight Loss Center provides the comprehensive care before and after bariatric surgery Kentucky residents expect and deserve, including nutritional education and counseling, fitness planning and training and emotional, psychological and behavioral support during the major lifestyle changes that follow weight-loss surgery.

Central Baptist Hospital is a leading provider of options for weight loss surgery Kentucky residents can select from to change their lives. Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates is a Lexington weight loss surgery provider, with clinics across the state.