By Tim Seyfert

El Camino Hospital last week launched a new weight loss surgery program where increasingly popular stomach-shrinking procedures will be offered to treat severe cases of obesity.

The hospital opened the program to patients Aug. 6, boasting a comprehensive weight loss center that offers medical, psychological and surgical expertise, as well as nutritional counseling.

The program is limited to qualified patients considered clinically morbid obese, or at least 100 pounds over their ideal weight, and have a body mass index (a ratio of height to weight) greater than 40. For instance, a 5-foot-tall person weighing 155 pounds would be considered overweight, but must weigh at least 205 pounds to be considered for surgery.

“This is a radical approach to weight loss for people who have exhausted all other avenues,” said Dr. Pamela Foster, one of the program’s staff surgeons. “This type of surgery isn’t for everyone and is usually reserved for select cases.”

There are two types of weight loss procedures, or bariatric surgeries offered — gastric bypass and gastric banding. The surgical option depends on both doctor recommendation and patient preference, Foster said.

With gastric bypass, a smaller stomach is created by stapling it off from the remainder of the stomach pouch. The procedure is irreversible.

The gastric banding operation is a reversible method in which an adjustable band is placed around the upper organ in order to create a smaller stomach.

Both options work by limiting the amount of food a person can eat, but only stapling reduces the amount of ghrelin secreted in the stomach, a hormone that controls hunger.

After surgery, patients can only eat small portions of food — about half a cup — for the first year, or they risk expanding their stomach and regaining the weight.

For more information about El Camino’s program, logon to www.thinnerfuture.com