(December 21, 2007 - Rockville Centre, NY) - Nineteen surgeons from as far away as Arizona, Mexico and Santo Domingo converged on Mercy Medical Center on December 21st to learn a unique non-invasive weight loss procedure that uses a new device to reduce the size of a patient’s stomach without the need for any incisions.

The instruction was provided by Shawn Garber, MD, Chief of Bariatric Surgery at Mercy, one of the first five surgeons in the United States to utilize the StomaphyX™ procedure for transoral gastric pouch reduction in patients with previous gastric bypass surgery. Mercy is one of three facilities - the others being in Ohio and Florida - that have just been designated as official training centers for the incisionless Natural Orifice Surgery by the maker of the StomaphyX device, EndoGastric Solutions™ of Redmond, Washington.

Dr. Garber performed the first StomaphyX procedures in the Northeast on July 18th and has subsequently utilized the technique for more than fifty patients who had previously undergone laparoscopic gastric bypass and had been gaining back some weight because of gradual expansion of their gastric pouches.

“This is an important new option for patients who gain weight a few years after undergoing bariatric surgery,” explained Dr. Garber, who heads the New York Bariatric Group. “Because it involves neither abdominal nor internal incisions, this technique is the least invasive, has the lowest risk, and allows patients to recover more quickly and return to their normal activities.”

Dr. Garber and his colleague, Spencer Holover, MD, have performed more than 2,000 weight loss surgeries. They work with a specially-trained team at Mercy, which has been designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society For Bariatric Surgery.

“This dramatic advance is the future of surgery,” said Dr. Garber. “The transoral technique introduces the instrument that reduces the size of the stomach through the mouth, reducing the risk of infection from surgical incisions, preserving future treatment options, nearly eliminating pain for the patient, and requiring less recovery time than open or even minimally-invasive laparoscopic procedures.”

Potential patients can learn about the new technique at Mercy Medical Center’s free monthly seminars on weight-loss surgery, which offer participants the opportunity to speak with bariatric surgeons and hear from patients first-hand about their experiences. Information and registration is available by calling 516-62MERCY (516-626-3729).

About Mercy Medical Center
Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre is a 375-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving the healthcare needs of Nassau County and its surrounding area. Best known for services in maternal health, oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedics, and behavioral health, Mercy provides 24 hour emergency and trauma care, is a state-designated Stroke Center, site of a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a Bariatric Center of Excellence designated by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, and the regional home of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Mercy also is the recipient of the 2008 Orthopedic Care Excellence™ Award from HealthGrades ®, marking the fourth year in a row that the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company has given Mercy’s program its top orthopedics honor.

For physician referrals, call: 516-62MERCY or visit http://mercymedicalcenter.chsli.org.

Contact: Mel Granick
Phone: (516) 705-2618
e-Mail: Mel.Granick@chsli.org