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Dr. Edward Lin certified a Lap Band proctor
Tracey Wilds becomes a Certified Bariatric Nurse
Emory Bariatrics Program Receives Level 1 Accreditation from American College of Surgeons
First Lap-Band procedure performed at Egleston by Dr. Wulkan
Dr. Edward Lin named Director of the Surgical Program of the Emory Bariatric Center
Congratulations to Dr. C. Daniel Smith and Dr. Leena Khaitan for their new appointments
Dr. Mark Wulkan discusses the nation's growing childhood obesity problem in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)
Dr. Leena Khaitan in Allure
Emory Bariatric Center earned Top-10 rating in national study
Dr. C. Daniel Smith assists the ACS in defining national standards for bariatric surgery
AJC article on former Emory Bariatric Center patient Barbara Benson's successful weight loss
Dr. Edward Lin serves on Governor's Task Force on Obesity
Dr. Edward Lin certified a Lap Band proctor
As of February 2008, Dr. Edward Lin, the Surgical Director of the Emory Bariatric Center, was officially designated a Lap Band proctor by Allergen, the multi-specialty health care company that originally developed the Lap Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System. The Lap Band is the first adjustable medical device for individualized weight loss and the first minimally invasive surgical approach approved in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As a proctor, Dr. Lin will certify surgeons in the procedure by observing them performing the technique in the OR.
Tracey Wilds becomes a Certified Bariatric Nurse
In March 2008, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery informed Tracey Wilds, the Bariatric Nurse Coordinator for the Emory Bariatric Center, that she had been certified an official bariatric nurse.
Emory Bariatrics Program receives Level 1 Accreditation from American College of Surgeons
The Emory Bariatric Center was accredited as a Level 1 Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in January 2008. Established by the ACS, the BSCN Accreditation Program provides confirmation that a bariatric surgery center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality care for its bariatric surgery patients. Please click here for more details.
First Lap-Band procedure performed at Egleston by Dr. Wulkan
Dr. Mark Wulkan performed the first pediatric Lap-Band procedure ever done at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston on June 21, 2007, on a 17-year-old patient. Involving the placement of an adjustable laparoscopic gastric band that creates a small stomach pouch, the minimally invasive technique offers an alternative to gastric bypass surgery to obese teens struggling with major medical complications as a result of excess weight. By injecting or removing saline contained within the band, it can be tightened or loosened as necessary.
Although the Lap-Band procedure has been performed on adults since 2001, it has not been officially approved for children under 18. Currently, the procedure is only offered at a few pediatric centers in the United States on the basis of being performed off-label or under investigation.
During the surgery, four to five small incisions are made in the abdomen and a band about the size of a shower curtain ring is cinched around the upper portion of the stomach to create a small pouch below the esophagus. The constriction slows the passage of food from the pouch into the remainder of the stomach and causes the patient to feel full quicker. By injecting or removing saline contained within the band, it is possible to tighten or loosen it as necessary. Unlike the gastric bypass operation, which involves cutting or stapling the stomach to permanently decrease its size, the lap band is adjustable and potentially reversible. Adjustable gastric banding also has a better safety profile than gastric bypass.
Dr. Edward Lin named Director of the Surgical Program of the Emory Bariatric Center
Following the departures of Dr. C. Daniel Smith and Dr. Leena Khaitan in October 2006 (see below), Dr. Edward Lin was named Director of the Surgical Program of the Emory Bariatric Center. Dr. Lin also directs the Emory Endosurgery Unit; the section of GI and General Surgery, Emory Crawford Long Hospital; and the Emory Gastroesophageal Treatment Center. After completing his laparoscopic and GI surgery fellowship at Emory in 2003, Dr. Lin joined the faculty of the Emory Department of Surgery. In 2004, he performed the first endoscopic plication for GERD done in the U.S. at Crawford Long Hospital. From December 2004 to January 2005, Dr. Lin was one of only two physicians to serve on the 15-member Georgia House of Representatives Committee for the Study of Obesity Prevention and Treatment in Adolescents and Adults. Due to the recognition he has received for his involvement in developing endoluminal procedures, Dr. Lin was able to initiate a collaborative effort with Boston Scientific in March 2006 that established training programs at Emory in endoscopic interventions and endoluminal surgery. In April 2006, Dr. Lin also chaired an endoluminal surgery hands-on course at the SAGES Annual Meeting.
Congratulations to Dr. C. Daniel Smith and Dr. Leena Khaitan for their new appointments
In October 2006, Dr. C. Daniel Smith and Dr. Leena Khaitan left the Emory Bariatric Center to assume new positions. Dr. Smith, who directed the Bariatric Center from July 2001-March 2004 and continued as one of its primary surgeons, was appointed Chairman of the Department of Surgery at The Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL. Dr. Khaitan, co-director of the center from March 2004 until her departure, was appointed Bariatric Director and Director of Minimally Invasive Services at a Case Western Reserve affiliate hospital.
Dr. Mark Wulkan discusses the nation's growing childhood obesity problem in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)
As one of various experts quoted in an article printed in the AJC and other newspapers on 10/19/06 entitled "Overweight Kids Getting Grownup Diseases," Dr. Mark Wulkan described his and his Emory colleagues' encounters with the nation's growing childhood obesity problem.
Dr. Leena Khaitan in Allure
Dr. Leena Khaitan discussed why some women are able to lose weight at different rates than others in an article in the June 2006 edition of Allure Magazine.
Emory Bariatric Center earned Top-10 rating in national study
The Emory Bariatric Center rated seventh among 29 organizations evaluated on quality and key performance measures by the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) in 2005. The UHC is an alliance of academic health centers situated mainly in the United States that provides its 90 full members and 123 associate members with a variety of resources aimed at improving performance levels in clinical, operational, and financial areas. The objective of the UHC's Bariatric Surgery Benchmarking Project was to evaluate the performance of UHC members and provide information that could be used to better understand necessary components and evidenced-based methods to improve their programs.
The UHC study focused on patient education, evaluation and selection; compliance with the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons' Center of Excellence criteria; outcomes based on surgical approach and procedure type; and effectiveness of programs for reducing complications and risk. The project evaluated bariatric surgery care and outcomes based on 15 key indicators found in evidence-based medicine literature, including preoperative screening and education, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevention, leak testing, length of stay in the hospital, the use of clinical pathways, having all the necessary equipment to care for obese patients, an appropriate care team, well organized support groups, and follow-up care. Participating centers were scored using an applied algorithm developed by UHC statisticians. Site visits were conducted to validate performance and to identify practices and policies that contribute to consistent success.
Dr. C. Daniel Smith assists the ACS in defining national standards for bariatric surgery
In May 2005, Dr. C. Daniel Smith was one of 10 surgeons invited to serve on a committee to define principles for the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons, which was established to foster high-quality surgical care for patients who undergo bariatric surgery. The committee's recommendations provided descriptions of the necessary physical and human resources, clinical standards, surgeon credentialing standards, data reporting standards and verification-approvals processes required for bariatric surgery programs to be designated as American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Centers.
Feature article on former Emory Bariatric Center patient Barbara Benson's successful weight loss appears in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), March 2005
The user must register with the AJC to read the article online.
Dr. Edward Lin serves on Governor's Task Force on Obesity from 2004-2005
Dr. Edward Lin was appointed to the Georgia House of Representatives Committee for the Study of Obesity (Prevention and Treatment in Adolescents and Adults), serving on the committee from December 2004 to January 2005. Dr. Lin was one of only two physicians on the 15-member committee, which included representatives from Coca-Cola, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association. To make recommendations to the Georgia House for future health and obesity-related bills and resolutions, the committee investigated such issues as disparities between races in diseases associated with obesity and the allocation of prevention and treatment funding. Dr. Nana Gletsu appeared before the committee to present her findings on the biology of co-morbidities associated with obesity.
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