HOUSTON, Dec. 3 JourneyLite of Houston, LLC announced today that it has updated its facility to offer patients a second surgical option, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, along with the LAP-BAND® System that it currently performs. The first sleeve gastrectomy procedure at the facility was performed by surgeon partner, Matthew St. Laurent, MD on October 20, 2009. The patient is reported as doing well.
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The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (also called Sleeve Gastrectomy, Vertical Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction, or Gastric Sleeve) is a surgical weight-loss procedure in which the stomach is reduced by surgical removal of a large portion of the stomach. It may be covered by some insurance companies and is considered an alternative to gastric bypass for morbidly obese patients. A sleeve gastrectomy permanently reduces the size of the stomach by 70 to 80 percent. The operation involves removing the portion of the stomach that functions mainly as a storage receptacle for food, making it much smaller, so it doesn't require as much food to reach satiety. The operation is performed laparoscopically and is not reversible.
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JourneyLite of Houston, LLC is a Bariatric Center of Excellence. This designation means that JourneyLite has met essential criteria that ensure it is fully capable of supporting a bariatric surgery care program, and that its institutional performance meets the requirements outlined by the American College of Surgeons BSCN Accreditation Program. The facility is located in north Houston at 7007 North Freeway, Suite 400. Practicing physicians at this ambulatory surgery center include Richard Collier, MD; Matthew St. Laurent, MD; and Ata Ahmad, MD.
"We are pleased to announce the addition of Sleeve (Vertical) Gastrectomy to the procedures offered at JourneyLite of Houston. The sleeve gastrectomy is performed laparoscopically, just as our adjustable gastric band procedures are done so as to minimize patient risk," said Dr. St. Laurent. "It offers a combination of restriction and hormonal mechanisms of action, allowing us to offer more options to our JourneyLite patients based on their specific needs."
About JourneyLite
JourneyLite of Houston, LLC is a state licensed ambulatory surgery center that has been in operation since November of 2006. Headquartered in Houston, Texas under the parent company of ASCIRA Partners, LLC, JourneyLite is a leading provider in the United States of surgical treatment for obesity through laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG). The goal of JourneyLite is to provide the highest quality patient surgical experience along with the most comprehensive patient aftercare programs available in the marketplace today. Information about JourneyLite may be found online at www.journeylite.com.
About ASCIRA Partners, LLC
ASCIRA Partners, LLC is a national network of ambulatory medical surgical facilities across various disciplines, in partnership with physicians and hospitals. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, ASCIRA grows their affiliated centers through strategic partnering with physicians and hospital project sponsors, with the end of offering a high quality surgical facility for both surgeon and patient. For more information, visit www.ascira.com.
SOURCE ASCIRA Partners, LLC
