For the protection of our patients, the staff will wear mask in the office.
For Telehealth follow-up and new consultations please contact us Here
1-818-812-7222 Office Hours: Monday and Wednesay 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
10 Congress St., Suite #405
Pasadena, CA 91105

Tag: Duodenal Switch

Standard Common Channel In Duodenal Switch Will Result In Weight Regain.

December 16, 2016 1:57 pm

Stéfane Lebel, M.D.*, Geneviève Dion, M.D., Simon Marceau, M.D., Simon Biron, M.D., M.Sc., Maud Robert, M.D., Laurent Biertho, M.D. earlier this year released a research article comparing patients undergoing standard common channel of 100cm and standard common channel 200cm. The conclusion of this article was: “In this population, BPD-DS with a 200-cm common channel offered similar remission rate of co-morbidities compared with standard BPD-DS. It was associated with similar weight loss at nadir, followed by a more significant weight regain. It might yield a lower rate of nutritional complications. Long-term randomized data are needed to detect other potential advantages.”

Our Experience:

One of the most dreaded outcomes of any weight loss surgical procedure is weight regain. This is assuming that initial adequate weight was lost to result in resolution of the co-morbidities in the first place.  As the weight loss surgical field has changed over the years so has been the cases of regain that we have seen.

There was a time when Lap bands were being revised for inadequate weight loss and weight regain. Not to mention the complications of reflux, difficulty swallowing and persistent Nausea and vomiting. Then as more Gastric bypass procedures “aged” the number of patients that started looking for revision for weight regain increased. The latest fad is the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy that are done with false sense of expectation and results. The long term outcome of Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is no where close to that of the Duodenal Switch, independent of the size of the sleeve. In fact, more surgeons are trying to get a little more weight loss by making the sleeve too tight. All they are doing is creating a significant and debilitating set of problems such as reflux, nausea, and solid intolerance.

The ideal revisional procedure for these patients should be the Duodenal Switch. Some surgeons, however, have started advocating “single anastomosis” knock off the duodenal switch. Others do “standard length common channel” rather than a Hess method Duodenal Switch. I have always performed a traditional Hess method Duodenal Switch.  The Hess method Duodenal Switch has held the largest and longest excess weight loss maintenance for 28 years, going into 29 years.  Here is a past blog regarding small bowel length.

The predetermined standard common channel results in weight regain. Study

 

Waiting on Pregnancy after Bariatric Surgery

October 27, 2016 11:47 am

Following Bariatric Surgery women should wait to conceive until they are at least 2 yrs post surgery, their weight has been stable for several months and their laboratory studies of vitamin, minerals and electrolytes levels are normal.  After weight has stabilized and blood work is normalized pregnancy after Bariatric Surgery can be achieved in a health manner for both mother and infant if monitoring is provided in relation to the surgery. We have discusses previously the importance of these issues in the following blogs here.

The following article by Lisa Rapaport re-emphasises this:
(Reuters Health) – Babies born less than two years after their mothers have weight loss surgery may face a higher risk of serious complications than infants delivered after more time has passed, a U.S. study suggests.

Because obesity is linked to fertility issues, undergoing so-called bariatric surgery to shed excess weight can make it easier for some women to get pregnant. But when these women do conceive, they are more likely to have premature or small infants that require intensive care than women in the general population. The remainder of the article can be found here.

Review & Update Giveaway!

August 31, 2016 6:27 pm

Keshishian Giveaway Ticket

The Prize winners are Jo and Kimberly!  Congratulations ladies and enjoy the Obesity Help National Conference!  Thank you to all that participated in the Giveaway!

We are holding a review and update giveaway for two different prizes! Thank you for your

participation!

One Prize and One Grand Prize

Prize: two tickets to Obestiy Help National Conference Sept. 30-Oct 1, 2016

Grand Prize: two tickets to Obesity Help National Conference and one night
hotel stay October 1, 2016

Conference: 11999 Harbor Boulevard Garden Grove, California 92840 Event link here

Hotel Prize: SHERATON GARDEN GROVE – ANAHEIM SOUTH HOTEL
12221 Harbor Boulevard
Garden Grove, California

Official Rules:

How to Enter and eligibility: All entrants and winners must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Up to 5 entries per person.

  1. Write a review of Dr. Ara Keshishian on one or all of the sites below or do an update on your profile on Obesity Help between now and Sept. 8, 2016 at 5:00 PM

2. Take a screen shot of the review or update with your username and date.

3. E-mail the screenshot to contact@dssurgery.com with your contact information (name, phone number, e-mail, and mailing address )

4. Entries must be a verifiable patient of Dr. Ara Keshishian in Glendale, CA.

Promotion Timing:

The Review & Update Giveaway begins September 1, 2016 and ends September 8, 2016 at 5:00pm PST

How Winners are Chosen:

Winners will be chosen by random draw.  Odds of winning vary upon the number of entries received for the giveaway.

Winner Notification and the Claiming of Prizes:

Winners will be notified via the email provided at time of entry and also published on our blog comments www.dssurgery.com/blog and on our FaceBook page. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to the winning notification email or the prize will be forfeited.  The prizes have no cash value. The prizes are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded. No changes may be made to the prizes. There is no cash value for the prizes.

General Conditions:

By entering the Giveaway, entrants agree to abide by and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Giveaway, and release and hold harmless Sponsor and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and assigns from and against any liability, claims, lawsuits, judgments, losses, damages of any kind, injuries, death, property damage, costs and expenses, arising from, resulting from or in connection with the Giveaway, the participation in the Giveaway, or the receipt, possession, use or misuse of any prize. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered or illegible entries or for lost or stolen entry boxes or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Giveaway, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Giveaway, the processing of entries, the announcement of the prizes, or in any Giveaway-related materials. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone malfunctions of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the user or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Giveaway. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Giveaway or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void. The Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Giveaway if, in Sponsor’s opinion, it is not capable of running as planned, including, but not limited to, due to tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical or phone line failures or any other problems beyond the control of the Sponsor, and select the winners for affected drawing(s) from among all eligible entries timely received for such affected drawing(s) prior to cancellation.

Ulcer and Stricture

August 29, 2016 5:21 am

A patient was referred to us for second opinion who was experiencing nausea, vomiting, GERD.  The patient had Duodenal Switch procedure many years ago but more recently had developed significant nausea, worsening reflux and solid intolerance. The patient had an endoscopy a few months ago and was only found to have a stricture within the Duodenum, no definitive treatment was offered at the time to the patient. On second examination of this patient with a second EGD the result was development of diffuse Duodenal ulcers  and stricture.

First EGD of Duodenal Stricture
First EGD of Duodenal Stricture
Second EGD with Duodenal Stricture and Ulceration
Second EGD with Duodenal Stricture and Ulceration

Note that these images are nearly identical positioning showing the stricture at 9 position. The image on the right also shows patchy ulcers.

Any changes in GERD, nausea, vomiting, gastric pain or discomfort after weight loss surgery should always be evaluated, treated, and followed. In a previous blog, the effects of GERD have been described.

Duodenal Switch

August 24, 2016 5:45 am

Buyer Beware ! There are a lot of look alike and counterfeit “Duodenal Switch” procedure being performed. A recent online chat discussion clearly demonstrates the point that just because a patient is told that they had the duodenal switch operation this is not necessarily the case.

In our practice, we always warn our patients of not comparing notes and their outcome to others. I perform the Duodenal Switch procedure  the way it was described by Dr. Hess, making the common and alimentary lengths as a percentage of the total length of small bowel. This is why our patient population has very little nutritional, and gastrointestinal issues compared to others. Unfortunately when a patient is given a disproportionately long Common channel and/or Alimentary channel the patient will have inadequate weight loss. Alternatively, when patients are  given a shorter alimentary channel in proportion to the total bowel length, significant nutritional deficiencies can arise. In a shorter alimentary channel situation patients have to consume higher doses of vitamins and nutrients to keep their laboratory values normal.

I have repeatedly raised the issues to clearly distinguish the single anastomosis procedures from Duodenal Switch operation.

One of the unfortunate problems is the lack of clear guidance given to the patients. It is not uncommon, when I do second opinion consultation with patient who were given generic gastric bypass post op protocol and instructions after their duodenal switch operation. This clearly shows lack of fundamental understanding of the practice performing these procedures and it is carried onto the patient.

 

Let’s Chat

August 22, 2016 8:46 pm

let's chat Keshishian
let's chat Keshishian

We are planning on using this blog post to hold routine sessions called “Let’s Chat!” where Dr. Keshishian is available to answer questions online.

This will be more private than some of the social media sites and give more people an opportunity to ask questions.  We will announce when we are going to hold these Let’s Chat sessions on social media, however, the actual chat will take place here on the blog. You will just need to post your comment or question, provide a name (can be initials if you require more privacy) and an e-mail (which is not posted with your question to provide more privacy). If you scroll to the bottom of this page there is a reply box.  Type in your question or comment, enter the other information and click the post comment icon. Your post will not be visible until it is approved by the host.

The Let’s Chat session will be similar to our FaceBook chats.  Here is an example of one of our FaceBook chats.

Keshishian comment box
Keshishian comment box

Exercise Benefits & Events

August 09, 2016 2:25 pm

Exercise and it’s benefits for body, mind and weight loss can’t be over emphasized. Everyone can benefit from some form of exercise whether it be a brisk walk, chair exercises, exercise bands, aquatics, running, hiking or biking. As a family we try to exercise often and attempt to participate in at least one event a month or so.  These types of events tend to keep us more accountable and motivated.  The group atmosphere, energy and vibe only add to the experience. Listed below are some of our favorite exercise events.  We will update this list and add to it.

Physical Benefits:

  • Weight loss and maintenance can be a benefit of exercise. It also improves muscle function and strength.
  • Improves Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
  • Reduces some Cancer Risk
  • Improved Cardiovascular Health
  • Improved “Good” cholesterol
  • Strengthens and improves Bone Health
  • Living longer
  • Improved Sleep

Mental Health Benefits:

  • Reduce Stress
  • Boosts Endorphins
  • Helps with Anxiety
  • Improved Self Confidence
  • Being in the Great Outdoors and Sunlight (increases Vitamin D)
  • Prevent Cognitive Decline
  • Sharpen Memory and Cognitive Function
  • Help with Addiction
  • Increase Relaxation

One important key note is to pay close attention to hydration with exercise, not only with fluids but electrolytes as well. Exercise increases fluid loss due to sweat and increase circulation to muscle.  You need to increase fluid intake to compensate for these losses.

Exercise events by the month:

June

The Los Angels River Ride is one of our families favorites.  Great ride for a great cause.

August

Luau 5K walk and fun run This is a fun family activity as they have a kids run and lots of activities.  It is also in Griffith Park which is a beautiful and treasured location.

September

The Prudential 401K Run is to promote saving for retirement and is a FREE event at the beautiful Rose Bowl

October

The Aloha Run brings a little Hawaiian feel to the fall.

JDRF One Walk fighting Type I Diabetes

November

City of Hope’s Walk for Hope 

December

Santa to the Sea (must bring a gift for a child)

Varying months depending on location:

Race for The Rescues

Walk from Obesity

Step Out Diabetes Walk

Get your Rear in Gear to fight Colon Cancer

CicLAvia a Los Angeles area quarterly biking event.

Less Invasive, Easier?

July 20, 2016 11:02 am

There is a continuous desire for a “less invasive”, “easier” procedure for the treatment of obesity and its associated co-morbidities. We have been very clear when discussing the benefits and long term outcome of the procedures. Let’s remind ourselves that “less invasive” does not mean a better option. In almost all cases a less invasive weight loss surgery means less weight loss, lower incidence of resolution of co-morbidities, and in some cases higher complications rate. Have we forgotten the adjustable gastric banding that was advocated to be the cure all for all obesity? All we hear now are the complications, the long term sequel of the reflux, hiatal hernia, irreversible esophageal injury, in addition to inadequate weight loss or weight regain.

sleeve_not _for DM_2_1
sleeve_not _for DM_1_1
sleeve-gastrectomy-525x700
sleeve_not _for DM_2_2

Unfortunately, the same is to be said about the Sleeve Gastrectomy. We have said, as supported by the scientific literature, that the long term outcome of the sleeve gastrectomy is not as good as that of the Duodenal Switch procedure. This is true for the amount of weight loss as well as the resolution of the co-morbidities. We see quite a few patients who have gained their weight back after sleeve, never lost enough weight, and/or did not achieve resolution of their co-morbidities, such as diabetes, and are having their procedure revised to Duodenal Switch procedure.

Here is a recent publication that discusses this.

Along with the same argument, this is why I caution patients when having the SIPS or SADI procedures. There is a chance that when the long term data for SIPS/SADI is available there may be some benefits procedure. However, as it stands at this point in time, these procedures are not the same as the Duodenal Switch procedure. So in short, less invasive, easier isn’t better.