Blog
21st May, 2021
We are sometimes asked if it makes sense to travel to undergo surgery—i.e. medical tourism—and in my field, the question often relates to travel to Mexico for bariatric surgery. There are three considerations someone should make in this scenario. These relate to the risks, the remedy for any complications, and what someone might truly be gaining by traveling to Mexico for the procedure. Many years ago,… Read more »
14th May, 2021
Some of the most common questions that arise after bariatric surgery are listed below with answers that usually hold true for just about everyone. Post-operative questions tend to differ from pre-operative questions because now the surgery has already taken place, and certain things may not be fully in line with pre-operative expectations. In other cases, new concerns arise that were just never covered or addressed… Read more »
7th May, 2021
All too often, people wait far too long to move forward with treating their health. This is especially true for weight loss surgery. I cannot tell you how many times I see people in the office who come to see me once something dreadful has already occurred. Common examples are that an individual has taken a fall, suffered a severe injury to a hip or… Read more »
23rd Apr, 2021
Dr. Sasse contributes regular articles to Sixty & Me, a wonderful online community of 500,000 women over 60. In his recent post, he included a comprehensive overview of seven treatment options for bladder and bowel leakage. Here's a short overview of the post, but we encourage you to jump over to Sixty & Me to read the piece in full. From the Post Dr. Sasse… Read more »
16th Apr, 2021
In a recent study from the excellent research team at The Cleveland Clinic, investigators reported the results of obese individuals who acquired COVID-19. They compared two matched groups among a total of 363 COVID-19 patients: one group with obesity and one group with prior morbid obesity but having had weight-loss surgery. The findings were significant. No weight-loss surgery patient required the ICU, mechanical ventilation, or dialysis,… Read more »
9th Apr, 2021
The recently released two-year study of 141 patients with urinary incontinence treated with the sacral neuromodulation (SNM) device showed excellent results at the two-year mark. SNM is a twenty-year-old therapy that has been increasingly refined in recent years. The thirty-minute procedure involves placement of a small chip-like device under the skin near a person’s back pocket, and gentle current awakens the sphincters and pelvic floor… Read more »
9th Apr, 2021
Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is a well-proven treatment that restores bladder and bowel control successfully with a minimalist outpatient procedure. Approximately 90% of patients experience success resolving bowel and bladder incontinence, even when prior treatments have failed. The technology has proven so useful that centers have begun using the SNM system to preserve and restore bowel function after complex surgery for conditions including rectal cancers in… Read more »
2nd Apr, 2021
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is a quote attributed to Ben Franklin. In medicine, we have all learned quite well over the years that prevention is often the best treatment. This has held true for a range of health conditions, from the simple to the complex. Wearing seatbelts prevents injuries with car accidents. Smoking cessation and weight loss prevent heart… Read more »
26th Mar, 2021
For Dr. Sasse's patient Evangelina, metabolic surgery was about more than improving her physical health. It was about changing her mental health too. "I felt that my esteem sunk below zero. I was so embarrassed to show up to functions no matter how many nice outfits I had to wear," she says. "There was no hiding my obesity." Making the Decision At 56 years of… Read more »
26th Mar, 2021
Just published in the Lancet, a preeminent medical journal, a recent European study with more than 10 years of follow up compared surgical treatment of advanced type 2 diabetes to treatment with medications, diet, and lifestyle interventions. The results show surgery is the clear winner, with patients randomized to the surgical arm experiencing fewer complications of diabetes, better kidney function, lowered cardiovascular risk, and better… Read more »