PROCESS
During the office visit a registered nurse will discuss your medical history and take your vital signs. I then review all the information, perform a physical examination and tailor the preoperative orders according to your individual needs. We allow plenty of time to visit with our patients. A very important part of this face-to-face interview is the assessment of your understanding of the requirements and restrictions that this type of operation imposes in terms of lifestyle, behavioral modifications and commitment to make the operation successful.  We emphasize the importance of patient’s compliance with these requirements, and also discuss your expectations in terms of results, to put these into a realistic perspective. 

One of the most important aspects of our program is the 3-hour seminar that every patient is required to attend. The seminar, free of charge, is divided in two sections. First, I use slides to present medical and surgical aspects of severe obesity, and to describe the Gastric Segmentation technique and results in detail. The second part of the seminar is given by one of my nurses. She explains the behavioral changes necessary to comply with the requirements imposed by the stomach-restriction procedure. After another round of questions, everybody completes a True/False format quiz, to determine your understanding of the information presented.