Treating Obesity with Robotics

Surgeons at Penn Medicine have more than 20 years of experience working with patients to provide the highest quality of medical care while achieving their lifestyle and weight loss goals. Now they have combined comprehensive care with roboticassisted surgery in the treatment of severe obesity.

Obesity has become an epidemic problem in the United States, reducing the life span of many and impacting the nation’s health in detrimental ways. Morbid obesity is often associated with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea, and an increased risk of colorectal and other cancers. For many of these patients, diets, medications and behavior modifications often fail.

Surgical treatment, including the roboticassisted Lap-Band® procedure, offers them hope as a proven method of achieving long-term weight loss for this population. Bariatric surgeons at the Hospital of the University Pennsylvania have been using the surgical robot in performing Lap-Band procedures for several years.

During Lap-Band surgery, an adjustable silicone elastomer band is placed around a portion of the upper stomach forming a small gastric pouch. The band causes food to be retained in the smaller stomach for longer periods of time, helping patients eat less and lose weight. Because of the robot’s ergonomic design and 3D imaging, it is ideally suited for bariatric surgery.

Penn is at the forefront of bariatric surgery. In addition to performing bariatric procedures for more than 20 years, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hospital are recognized as a Centers of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

Noel Williams, MD, director of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program, said there are many advantages to patients when using robotics for bariatric surgery including:

• Reduced trauma to the body
• Shorter recovery time
• Less chance of infection
• Less postoperative pain