Helping Patients Battle Obesity with Bariatric Surgery

Kennedy's Bariatric Surgery Team lead by Drs. Marc Neff & Louis Balsama

Today, one in three adults in the United States is obese and about 20 million are morbidly obese. With obesity a growing medical and emotional problem, many severely overweight people are turning to gastric bypass surgery for help. Kennedy can now offer that help through our own Bariatric Surgery Program.

Three Surgical Options

Drs. March Neff and Louis Balsama, both specially trained in weight-loss surgery, offer three options to qualified patients: the popular Roux-en-Y gastric bypass; the less invasive gastric "sleeve" surgery; and the adjustable LAP-BAND weight-loss surgery.

All bariatric surgical procedures reduce food consumption by restricting the size of the stomach. Eligible patients usually have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater, which translates to about 100 pounds over ideal body weight for men, or 80 pounds overweight for women.

Weight loss surgery may also be an option for people with a BMI of 35 or greater who suffer from life-threatening obesity-related health issues, including diabetes, heart disease or severe sleep apnea.

LAP-BAND Surgery

In LAP-BAND weight-loss surgery, lap bands are placed around the stomach through small incisions on the abdomen. Patients are usually discharged the day after the surgery, allowing them to resume their regular activities sooner. Postoperative adjustments can be made by changing the amount of saline in the band, which will control the amount of food that is consumed comfortably by the patient

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

This type of surgery uses a combination of restriction and malabsorption. During the procedure, the surgeon creates a smaller stomach pouch. The surgeon then attaches a Y-shaped section of the small intestine directly to the pouch. This allows food to bypass a large portion of the small intestine, which absorbs calories and nutrients. Having the smaller stomach pouch causes patients to feel fuller sooner and eat less food. Bypassing a portion of the small intestine means the patient's body absorbs fewer calories.

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG)

In addition to these forms of bariatric surgery, Kennedy offers Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG), considered one of the safest weight loss surgeries. It is less restrictive than some other bariatric weight loss surgeries, has no effect or change to the small intestine and, because it is done laparoscopically, requires a shorter recovery time.

If you are a candidate for bariatric surgery, your physician will determine which procedure is best for you. The first step is to make an initial appointment with our bariatric team. Patients will learn more about the procedure and nutritional issues related to surgery. They will also attend a support group.

Prospective patients will undergo a physical exam and pre-operative testing, including lab work, an EKG and a chest x-ray. Patietns are also advised to begin compiling a weight loss histrory for insurance company requirements.

After all consults are completed, authorization from your insurance company for the surgery will be sought. Once insurance approval is obtained, patients will be scheduled for surgery.

Bariatric surgery at Kennedy is performed by Drs. Marc A. Neff, FACS, (right) and Louis H. Balsama, both of whom are certified by The American Board of Surgery.



Dr. Neff earned his medical degree from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His residency was in York, Pennsylvania, where he trained with Dr. John Monk, a leading gastric bypass surgeon in central Pennsylvania. He then spent two years in fellowship with Dr. W. Peter Geis, one of the leading laparoscopic surgeons in the country and with Dr. Robert Brolin, a leading expert in bariatric surgery and former president of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS).

Dr. Neff completed a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. He then accepted a position as a surgical attending at Crozer-Keystone Health System where he performed and assisted on laparoscopic gastric bypasses and was instrumental in establishing a Bariatric Surgery Program. Overall, he has performed more than 125 obesity surgeries.

Dr. Balsama, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at UMDNJ-SOM, earned his medical degree from UMDNJ-SOM. He completed his Internship at Horizon Health System/Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, and his Residency in General Surgery at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown. He performed/assisted on laparoscopic gastric bypasses at one of the busiest obesity surgery programs in the region.

Commitment and Impact

Patients looking to have bariatric surgery must first try diets, exercise and other methods to loss weight., which is a pre-requisite for all insurance companies. Failing that, they must undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if they are a candidate for weight loss surgery.

“We require all candidates to commit to lifestyle changes before they undergo surgery,” says Dr. Neff. “You can’t be motivated to have surgery for the wrong reasons; you must be committed to a healthy lifestyle after surgery.”

But once a person undergoes surgery, the statistics are impressive. A Swedish study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004 found obesity surgery resulted in greater sustained weight loss and more improvement in related health conditions than conventional treatments over a 10-year period.

Dr. Neff is very excited about the impact that bariatric surgery has on patients. “Morbid obesity is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, breathing problems and has a negative impact on virtually every one of your organs,” he explains. “Bariatric surgery not only helps to alleviate up to 20 medical problems, it can also mitigate an unknown number of emotional and lifestyle issues. After surgery, people report that they go to the theater, play sports, dance, have children, get married, go skiing—do so many things that other people take for granted. There are few medical procedures that can make such a dramatic difference in a person’s life.”