MDNEWS A BUSINESS & PRACTICE MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE 1 ABOUT PHYSICIANS 1 FROM PHYSICIANS I FOR PHYSICIANS Arif Ahmad, M.D. The Force Behind John T, Mather Memorial Hospital’s Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence By Jackie Frederick-Berner As a leading specialist in the field of bariatric surgery, Arif Ahmad, M.D.. has authored several innovative surgical techniques with regard to laparoscopic bariatric surgery. This includes a new technique to prevent the narrowing of the jejunojejunostomy and one to detect anastomotic leaks. They come to bariatric surgeon Arif Ahmad, M.D., feeling like prisoners in their own bodies. Some have spent their entire adult lives struggling with increasing waistlines while watching their physical and mental health deteriorate. For many, frustration from innumerable failed diets and weight loss programs has given way to depression and shame. However, when they enter the doors of John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY to attend one of Dr. Ahmad’s new patient information seminars, they find hope. In Dr. Ahmad, the hospital’s Director of Bariatric Surgery, they encounter an exceptionally supportive and skilled partner in their battle to lose weight and regain their health. Patients who come to Dr. Ahmad for bariatric surgery weigh 100 pounds or more over their ideal body weight or have a body mass index of 40 or greater. They have not been able to lose weight through other means like diet, exercise, and behavior modification therapy. The amount of excess weight they carry significantly increases their risk of obesity-related conditions or diseases, such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, degenerative joint diseases, and obstructive sleep apnea. “More than 98% of people who are 100 pounds above their ideal body weight just are not able to lose weight and keep it off,” explains Dr. Ahmad.” “So then, we are comparing the option of remaining morbidly obese or considering surgery, and between the two options, there’s certainly no question that in terms of longevity, quality of life, and overall health, the results of surgery are much better than remaining morbidly obese.
