Minimally Invasive Techniques including daVinci® Gastric Bypass Detailed

Log onto www.or-live.com/hahnemannhospital on Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 7 p.m. EDT

PHILADELPHIA (May 17, 2006) – Hahnemann University Hospital’s Center for Surgical Weight Loss will host an interactive webcast of a bariatric surgery, also known as Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery, and a panel discussion on the benefits of minimally invasive techniques for this procedure including use of the daVinci® robot, on Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 7 p.m. (EDT).  The webcast, which is expected to last one hour, is free to all viewers with Internet access at www.or-live.com/hahnemannhospital.

Bariatric surgeon Dr. Andres Castellanos will lead the interactive panel discussion and narrate the laparscopic, or minimally invasive, surgical procedure he performed at Hahnemann.  Viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions through email of Dr. Castellanos and his guest panelists including a former bariatric surgery patient, and members of Hahnemann’s multidisciplinary team of specialists including nutritionist Marcie Amerstein, RD, LDN, psychiatrist Ralph Petrucci, Ph.D., pulmonologist Joanne Getsy, M.D., and Lori Jenkins, RN, BSN, the program coordinator, who are directly involved in evaluating potential bariatric surgery patients. 

“Obesity is a serious medical condition with serious medical consequences,” says Dr. Castellanos.  “I encourage anyone who has been unsuccessful in past attempts to lose weight through a structured weight loss program, or anyone who has a close friend or family member fitting this description, to tune in to our webcast to learn more about surgical weight loss and Hahnemann’s surgical weight loss program.”

Weight loss surgery is for those 100 pounds or more overweight.

To view the live webcast and learn more about surgical options for weight loss, log onto www.or-live.com/hahnemannhospital on Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 7 p.m. EDT