Shands at UF Weight Loss Surgery Center

Surgical Results | About the Surgeons | More Information

University of Florida surgeons offer minimally invasive bariatric surgeries through the Shands at UF Weight Loss Surgery Center in Gainesville, Florida. The multidisciplinary center brings together a healthcare team, caring for the whole patient, not just their surgical needs. UF surgeons collaborate with UF experts from psychiatry, cardiology, pulmonology, medicine, nephrology and nutrition as they strive to identify and resolve the extensive health problems associated with morbid obesity.

Minimally invasive weight-loss surgery procedures offered include:

• Inflatable adjustable gastric band, including Lap-Band and REALIZE band procedures
• Laparoscopic gastric bypass
• Laparoscopic gastric sleeve
• Biliopancreatic diversion/Scopinaro Procedure

Weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery limits the amount of food that can be taken into a person’s stomach. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass reduces the stomach’s size and bypasses the small intestines so less fat is absorbed from foods consumed. The inflatable adjustable gastric band uses an adjustable plastic ring to narrow the stomach’s opening, limiting the amount of food that can pass and decreasing one’s hunger sensation.

Surgical Results
Surgical weight loss is the only proven, reliable and long-term weight loss solution for morbid obesity. When patients adhere to the necessary post-surgery commitments, including diet and exercise, weight loss surgery is very successful. Results from surgery directly impact a person’s overall quality of life, as well as resolve many co-existing health problems.

A 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association* cited the following resolution statistics of health-related problems:

• Diabetes Mellitus
• Complete resolution – 76.8 percent
• Resolved or improved – 86 percent
• Hyperlipidemia
• Improved 70 percent
• Hypertension
• Resolved 61.7 percent
• Resolved or improved 78 percent
• Sleep Apnea
• Resolved 85.7 percent

Morbid Obesity
Morbid obesity affects about 15 million people, or one in 50 adults, in the United States, according to the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. It is defined by being at least 100 pounds overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. It is a life-threatening disease commonly associated with numerous detrimental health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension, cancer and sleep apnea. Obesity impacts both quantity and quality of life; and too commonly it interferes with social and personal activities.

Calculate your BMI: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

About the Surgeons

Kfir Ben-David, MD

Dr. Ben-David is the director of the Shands at UF Weight Loss Surgery Center. He completed a combined fellowship in laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at Duke University College of Medicine. An assistant professor in the UF department of surgery, he also is a graduate of the UF College of Medicine and completed his surgical residency at the University of Cincinnati. His surgical interests include:

• Minimally invasive weight loss surgery for the treatment of obesity
• Minimally invasive surgery for gastroesophageal reflux, paraesophageal and hiatal hernias, achalasia, and esophageal cancer
• Minimally invasive surgery for disorders of the colon, stomach, pancreas, adrenal gland, spleen, and hernias

Juan Cendan, MD

Dr. Cendan is an assistant professor in the UF department of surgery. He earned his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he also completed his surgical residency and a research fellowship in the surgical metabolism laboratory. His surgical interests include:

• Minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of obesity
• Minimally invasive surgery for disorders of the adrenal gland
• Minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract including reflux
• Treatment of complicated hernias using both open and laparoscopic techniques
• Treatment of breast disorders and melanoma

Information

For more information about the bariatric surgery, visit Dr. Ben-David’s HealthCast where you can listen to Dr. Ben-David discussing the Shands at UF Weight Loss Surgery Center in greater detail, or attend a free presentation: "Combining Surgery, Diet and Exercise to Change Lives". To schedule an appointment, please call the Shands Consultation Center at 800.749.7424 or 352.265.8000. For additional information, visit www.surgery.ufl.edu/bariatrics.