The surgery restricts the stomach by placing a band around the upper portion of the organ. This allows only a small amount of food to be contained in the stomach at one time, and allows the patient to lose weight. The benefit of this type of surgery is that, unlike other surgeries that actually reduce the size of the functioning stomach, the band can be adjusted for different patients' needs, and the digestive tract retains its normal anatomy.Performing the procedure using minimally invasive, or laparoscopic, equipment is more precise, less traumatic for the patient, with less discomfort and offers a quicker recovery and a more rapid return to normal activities.In order to introduce this new technology to patients and families who may be dealing with the problem of morbid obesity, Geiss will present a series of free seminars entitled "Surgical Options for the Treatment of Morbid Obesity." The seminars will provide an introduction to the Lap Band surgical device and a multimedia presentation will outline the current surgical and medical research on the national weight crisis. A question and answer session with the bariatric team will follow. the free seminars will be held on Wednesdays May 5, May 12, May 26, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the hospital's Shankman Auditorium. To reserve seating at the free event, call Franklin's External Affairs Department at (516)256-6397.
Winthrop offers smoking cessation program
An estimated 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases caused by smoking. Responsible for an estimated one in five U.S. deaths, smoking is directly accountable for 87 percent of lung cancer cases and causes most cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, according to the American Lung Association. In response to these staggering statistics, a special smoking cessation collaborative committee was created at Winthrop-University Hospital, made up of nurses, respiratory therapists, health educators, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, to implement a full-scale smoking cessation program.The program is designed to identify those smokers admitted to the hospital who are in need of help in taking the necessary first steps toward a smoke free life. Winthrop's healthcare professionals offer those interested individuals advice on quitting and resources available to help kick the tobacco habit.In its initial phase, Winthrop's smoking cessation collaborative, an International Peer Review Organization initiative, has been targeting all patients admitted with a heart attack, a population already at high risk. As the initiative moves forward, patients who smoke and are admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure and pneumonia will be identified through the admitting process and offered advice on quitting and programs such as behavior modification and hypnosis to help break the habit. In addition, Winthrop pharmacists will be available for pharmacological intervention including nicotine replacement therapy and support groups will also be available. "Relapse is common in people who have quit smoking less then one year," sated Terence Trow, MD, pulmonologist and clinical champion of Winthrop's collaborative committee. "Nicotine is a powerful addiction and it is important that our patients and employees know that there is help at Winthrop." As the initiative grows, all patients identified as smokers will be given the opportunity to help themselves and healthcare professionals will also reach out to parents of children and teens who smoke, an ever growing population.For more information on Winthrop's smoking cessation program, contact the pulmonary department at (516)663-2579.
