With Swiss1Chirurgie and the ZfbC to the Grand Prix in Bern

The GP Bern has been one of the world’s best-known popular races with international appeal since 1982. The Old Town Run and the Grand Prix Bern are among the ten most beautiful courses in the world and are also visited time and again by international running celebrities.

We want to take part in the run together with employees and patients of the ZfbC and Swiss1Chirurgie as a team on 09 May 2020. The registration period is running. You can find out more about the Grand Prix Bern with Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC as well as the possibilities for team participation in the detailed article (LINK).

We look forward to your registration and to a wonderful day in May!

Your

Jörg Zehetner

With Swiss1Chirurgie and the ZfbC to the Grand Prix in Bern

The Grand Prix Bern has been an integral part of Switzerland’s running calendar since 1982. International runners have also long since discovered the challenging 10-mile race for themselves and names such as three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele from Ethiopia, world champion Martina Strähl from Switzerland or Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) grace the start lists of the Bern Grand Prix alongside national and international athletics celebrities.

The Grand Prix Bern is not only a gathering of the world’s best runners, but also a meeting place for ambitious amateur athletes from all walks of life. Whoever tackles the easy to challenging run on the road between 4.8 and 16.01 kilometres knows they are in the company of the great athletes of our time. More important than that, however, is the certainty that taking part in the Old Town Run (4.8 kilometres) or the Grand Prix (16.01 kilometres) is a challenge for body and psyche and always a good contribution to maintaining and improving health and fitness.

Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC invite you to the run

In 2019, Swiss1Chirurgie and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) have again participated as a team in the GP Bern. And that should be the case again in 2020. Both employees of Swiss1Chirurgie and the ZfbC as well as patients with the appropriate will and physical conditions can participate as team players in the Old Town Run or the Grand Prix.

The doctors and therapists from Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC are particularly committed to the patients in advance. Thus, former and current patients can get individual advice from the specialists and also receive sport and health advice in preparation for the GP Bern. After all, the point of participation is not to achieve best values, but to aim for very personal goals, taking into account individual conditions. Ultimately, participation in the Old Town Run or the Grand Prix should be a contribution to the health and fitness of the participants. This is the deeper meaning of such a popular race, as Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner also knows from his own experience of participating in many long-distance races.

Application deadline runs

As “Team swiss1chirurgie &zfbc” we want to compete together with staff and patients in the Old Town Run and Grand Prix in Bern on 09 May 2020. Staff and patients can now sign up to participate in the registration list. The deadline for registration is 29 March 2020. The lists of participants are available in our clinics. Participants can also register online via the Swiss1Chirurgie app.

Participation is free of charge for the first 20 registered participants. All registered participants will receive a team shirt for the run on 09 May 2020 in Bern. We are already looking forward to a lively interest. Because last but not least, taking part in the Altstadtlauf or the Grand Prix Bern is a good contribution to keeping healthy and is even more fun as a team.

Even more information about the GP Bern and participation is available at www.gpbern.ch and of course on the Swiss1ChirurgieVictoryAPP (LINK).

Research for the benefit of patients

Swiss1Chirurgie accepts international award

When the specialists at Swiss1Chirurgie look for the best ways to treat patients, it always has a lot to do with research, scientific work and the publication of the latest findings and methods.

The doctors at Swiss1Chirurgie under Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner specialise in obesity surgery as well as medical treatments under the umbrella term UpperGI. This includes, for example, interventions in the areas of reflux, diaphragmatic hernias, oesophageal and stomach cancer. Another field of work of Swiss1Chirurgie is visceral surgery, which is also colloquially referred to as abdominal surgery. In all these specialties, the medical professionals not only work on the patients themselves, but also, and above all, in parallel in the areas of research and further development of methods and techniques.

International prize goes to Swiss1Chirurgie

While Prof. Dr Jörg Zehetner was still attending the OESO Congress in Beijing, Swiss1Chirurgie received a special honour. At the ASMBS Meeting 2019 in November in Las Vegas, USA, Dr Catherine Tsai received the International Award for the best video presentation of a surgical procedure.

Dr Catherine Tsai has been working as a research assistant at Swiss1Chirurgie in Bern for the past two years, and her scientific research work significantly supports further development at the Swiss1Chirurgie sites in Switzerland.

In the video presentation “Laparoscopic Conversion from Gastric Sleeve to RY Gastric Bypass with Remnant Gastrectomy using Fluorescent Angiography” by Dr Tsai, Dr Steffen and Dr Zehetner, you can see the laparoscopic conversion from a sleeve (tubular stomach) to a gastric bypass, whereby here the remaining stomach was completely resected for medical reasons. Fluorescent angiography was used to check the blood flow in the gastric pouch and duodenum, as shown in this video.

Swiss1Chirurgie continues its series of successes

The latest award ceremony for Swiss1Chirurgie and thus also for the Centre for Bariatric Surgery ZfBC continues a series of successes that have long since made the specialists Dr Jörg Zehetner, Dr Catherine Tsai, Dr Steffen and Dr Metzger real experts with an international reputation. We only need to refer to the numerous publications and prizes that were awarded to Swiss1Chirurgie last year.

The medical specialists are less concerned with fame and more with scientific, methodical and ultimately medical progress in the interest of the patients. Various studies are being carried out with the Inselspital Bern as well as in the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery. The results of such studies primarily benefit the patients of Swiss1Chirurgie, underpin the outstanding international reputation of the specialists and, last but not least, form the basis for new developments in the specialist areas of Swiss1Chirurgie.

For the sake of completeness, we summarise here the most important publications, lectures and awards of Swiss1Chirurgie from the past years:

Swiss1Chirurgie accepts international award

When the specialists at Swiss1Chirurgie look for the best ways to treat patients, it always has a lot to do with research, scientific work and the publication of the latest findings and methods.

International prize goes to Swiss1Chirurgie

Swiss1Chirurgie continues its series of successes

For the sake of completeness, we summarise here the most important publications, lectures and awards of Swiss1Chirurgie from the past years:

Swiss1Chirurgie Research Fellowship (2017-2019)

Conferences (number of presentations)

International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders-European Chapter (IFSO-EC), Athens, Greece, May 2018 (3)
European Association of Endoscopic Surgery (EAES), London, UK, May 2018 (2)
Digestive Disease Week – Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (DDW – SSAT), Washington DC, June 2018 (3)
IFSO, Dubai, UAE September 2018, (4)
American College of Surgeons (ACS), Boston, MA, October 2018 (2)
SAGES, April 2019, Baltimore, MD (2)
World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes (WCITD), April 2019, New York, NY (1)
DDW, May 2019, San Diego, CA (1)
Swiss Surgical Society, May 2019, Bern, Switzerland (6)
ASMBS Obesity Week, November 2019, Las Vegas, Nevada (2)

Publications (4)

Tsai C, Steffen R, Kessler U, Merki H, Zehetner J, “Short-term outcomes of endoscopic gastro-jejunal revisions for treatment of dumping syndrome after Roux-En-Y gastric bypass,” Surgical Endoscopy, September 2019
Tsai C, Zeheter J, Beel J, Steffen R, “Long-term outcomes and frequency of revisional bariatric surgeries beyond 15 years after gastric banding: A high band failure rate with safe revisions,” SOARD, February 2019
Tsai C, Kessler U, Steffen R, Merki H, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic Gastrojejunal Revisions Following Gastric Bypass: Lessons Learned In More Than 100 Consecutive Patients,” Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, September 2018
Tsai C, Kessler U, Steffen R, Merki H, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic Closure of Gastro-gastric Fistula After Gastric Bypass: a Technically Feasible Procedure but Associated with Low Success Rate,” Obesity Surgery, September 2018

Oral Presentations (16)

Tsai C, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease after Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass” (Video) ASMBS November 5, 2019
Tsai C, Zehetner J, Steffen R, “Laparoscopic Conversion from Gastric Sleeve to Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass with Remnant Gastrectomy using Fluorescent Angiography” (Video) ASMBS November 6, 2019
Tsai C, Zehetner J, Bally L, Steffen R, “Impact of roux-en-y gastric bypass alimentary limb length on long-term weight loss, diabetes, and dumping syndrome outcomes,” Swiss Surgical Society Congress, Bern, Switzerland May 17, 2019
Tsai C, Zehetner J, Beel J, Steffen R, “Long-term outcomes and frequency of revisional bariatric surgeries 15 years and beyond after gastric banding: A high band failure rate with safe revisions,” Swiss Surgical Society Congress, Bern, Switzerland May 16, 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Kessler U, Lipham J, Zehetner J, “Post-operative dysphagia following magnetic sphincter augmentation for gastroesophageal reflux disease,” Swiss Surgical Society Congress, Bern, Switzerland, May 15, 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Kessler U, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic gastro-jejunal revisions for treatment of dumping syndrome after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass,” SAGES, Baltimore, MA April 4, 2019
Tsai C, Zeheter J, “Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair with Posterior Cruroplasty and Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation in a Patient with GERD and Large Type III Hiatal Hernia,” ACS, Boston, Massachusetts, October 24, 2018 (video)
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Laparoscopic Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation with routine Posterior Cruroplasty: Postoperative Dysphagia and Hiatal Hernia Recurrence,” ACS, Boston, Massachusetts, October 25, 2018 (quickshot)
Tsai C, Zehetner J, Kessler U, Steffen R, “Long-term results of pancreatectomy for post-gastric bypass hypoglycemia,” IFSO, Dubai, UAE, September 27, 2018
Tsai C, Zehetner J, “Conversion of gastric banding to laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with perfusion assessment using laser-assisted fluorescence angiography,” IFSO, Dubai, UAE, September 27, 2018 (video)
Tsai C, Zehetner J, “Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with perfusion assessment using laser-assisted fluorescence angiography,” IFSO Dubai, UAE, September 28, 2018 (video)
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic gastrojejunal revisions following gastric bypass: lessons learned in more than 100 consecutive procedures,” Digestive Disease Week (SSAT sessions), Washington DC, June 5, 2018
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic closure of gastro-gastric fistula after gastric bypass: a technically feasible procedure but associated with low success-rate,” Digestive Disease Week (SSAT sessions), Washington DC, June 4, 2018
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Dumping syndrome after gastric bypass: endoluminal revision of the dilated gastrojejunostomy is a safe and highly effective treatment option,” presented as oral presentation as part of Best Abstracts session at International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders, European Chapter (IFSO-EC), Athens, Greece, May 19, 2018
Tsai C, Zehetner J, Kessler U, Steffen R, “Outcomes 15 years and beyond following adjustable gastric banding for morbid obesity: high band failure rate with safe revisions,” IFSO-EC, Athens, Greece, May 17, 2018
Tsai C, Steffen R, “Re-sleeve with silastic ring and crurorhaphy in a rare case of severe hyperinsulimic hypoglycemia after sleeve gastrectomy,” IFSO-EC, Athens, Greece, May 18, 2018 (video)

Poster Presentations (10)

Tsai C, Zehetner J, Bally L, Steffen R, “Long-term weight loss, diabetes, and dumping syndrome outcomes after short versus long alimentary limb roux-en-y gastric bypass,” DDW (SSAT sessions), San Diego, CA May 21, 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Perfusion assessment using laser-assisted fluorescence angiography during conversion of gastric band to laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy,” Swiss Surgical Society Congress, Bern, Switzerland May 15-17, 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair with posterior cruroplasty and magnetic sphincter augmentation in patient with refux and large type III hiatal hernia,” Swiss Surgical Society Congress, Bern, Switzerland, May 15-17, 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Kessler U, Zehetner J, “Gastroesophageal reflux disease after bariatric surgery: Magnetic sphincter augmentation in patients with normal esophageal motility,” Swiss Surgical Society Congress, Bern, Switzerland, May 15-17, 2019
Tsai C, Herzig D, Zehetner J, Kosinski C, Kunezli C, Stauffer TP, Nett P, Steffen R, Stettler C, Bally L, “Incretin response in patients with postprandial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia following gastric bypass surgery with or without extended distal pancreatectomy,” World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes (WCITD), New York, NY, April 8-10, 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Kessler U, Lipham J, Zehetner J, “Post-operative Dysphagia Following Magnetic Sphincter Augmentation for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease,” SAGES, Baltimore, April 3 – 6 2019
Tsai C, Steffen R, Kessler U, Zehetner J, “Gastroesophageal reflux disease after bariatric surgery: magnetic sphincter augmentation in patients with normal esophageal motility,” IFSO, Dubai, UAE, September 26-29, 2018
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Dumping syndrome after gastric bypass: endoluminal revision of the dilated gastrojejunostomy is a safe and highly effective treatment option,” DDW (SSAT sessions), Washington DC on June 5, 2018
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic gastrojejunal revisions following gastric bypass: lessons learned in more than 100 consecutive procedures,” European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES) in London, United Kingdom May 31-June 1 2018
Tsai C, Kessler U, Merki H, Steffen R, Zehetner J, “Endoscopic closure of gastro-gastric fistula after gastric bypass: a technically feasible procedure but associated with low success-rate,” EAES, London, United Kingdom May 31-June 1 2018

Awards

Best Video Presentation International Award, ASMBS Obesity Week, 2019
SSAT Resident and Fellowship session honoree, Digestive Disease Week, 2018
Best Video Presentation, IFSO, 2018

Current: Focus on bariatrics

The success of obesity treatment is decided after the operation

Severe obesity with all the possible secondary diseases such as type 2 diabetes is one of the widespread diseases in the developed industrialised countries and the number of cases is increasing. Not only in the USA, but also in Europe, morbid overweight (obesity) is rampant. Both in Germany and Switzerland, more and more clinics are specialising in the medical and, above all, surgical treatment of heavyweight contemporaries. Accordingly, surgical procedures are performed more frequently in obesity surgery than they were a few decades ago. Stomach reduction, tube stomach or gastric bypass are the keywords for operations related to obesity. While in Germany, according to current surveys, there is an almost complete lack of professional aftercare, in Switzerland, for example, the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) also sets a good example in the aftercare of patients.

Without lifelong follow-up, the success of bariatric surgery is at risk

A stomach reduction, in whatever form, is the only way out of the vicious circle of obesity, secondary diseases, lack of exercise and even more obesity for many obese patients. In Germany, but also in Switzerland, clinics have specialised in surgical interventions for obesity and provide patients with at least short-term hope for change. However, in Germany in particular, this hope remains a mere expectation. Because even more important than the success of the actual surgical intervention is the subsequent aftercare. And in most cases, this will be necessary for a lifetime. Postoperative care for obese patients is by no means limited to the control of small scars or wound healing in the gastrointestinal tract. More importantly, after such an operation, patients have to change their whole life decisively. This starts with a new form of nutrition, continues with controlled nutritional supplementation, for example with vitamins, trace elements and protein, and ends with a new way of learning sensible exercise. Only a corresponding change in lifestyle habits can ensure the success of bariatric surgery in the long term and thus make the lives of overweight patients better.

All experienced medical specialists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists agree on this. However, there is a lack of concrete implementation of such follow-up treatment and further care in Germany. As the Norddeutscher Rundfunk NDR recently revealed in a contribution to the health magazine “Visite”, the concept of follow-up treatment is poorly neglected in Germany and virtually not established at all. One of the reasons for this is that the health insurance companies neither include such a lengthy to lifelong care for patients in their cost catalogue, nor do they seem to be interested in it. Anyone who has managed to get an overweight operation financed by German health insurance funds at all is often left alone and downright to fend for themselves afterwards.

Accordingly, few patients then find their way to nutrition counselling and further care. Until the body again sounds the alarm and all short-term successes of bariatric surgery are acutely endangered. Those who are financially well off will treat themselves to the necessary aftercare if they have sufficient insight and self-discipline. Those who are less well-off or do not even know how important further care is, do not act at all at this point due to ignorance or lack of financial mass and thus endanger not only the success of the overweight operation, but their health in general.

The German health system clearly has a duty here and must find ways to ensure that bariatric surgery does not turn into an odyssey through the clinical pictures of accompanying secondary diseases.

Switzerland sets a good example

It’s different in Switzerland. Here too, medical centres such as Swiss1Chirurgie, together with the Centre for Bariatric Surgery in Bern, have dedicated themselves to surgical interventions for morbid obesity. Unlike its German neighbours, however, the focus here is on the protracted nature of such interventions from the outset. Only patients who are willing to receive lifelong counselling and support are even considered for bariatric surgery. This is already addressed in the initial talks and is also consistently enforced after the interventions. Of course, always with the cooperation of the patients and all the professionals needed for this.

This methodology is also supported in principle by the Swiss health care system. Here it is clear that anyone who has to undergo bariatric surgery will need the support of the relevant specialists such as internists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists for a long time afterwards, if not permanently. This is the only way to ensure the long-term success of obesity surgery, which ultimately not only benefits the health of the patients, but also significantly minimises the follow-up costs due to a lack of follow-up care.such as internists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists.

It remains questionable whether this insight will be reached in Germany in the near future. While the health care system there mainly works on apparent undesirable developments and deficiencies, most obesity patients remain on their own, with or without bariatric surgery.

We have provided more information on the “Visite” report by NDR here http://bit.ly/ndrnachversorgung.

To the TV report

Dr. med. Michèle Gasser
Dr. med. Claudia Meier
Dr. med. Yvette Ottiger
Dr. med. Stefan Schäfer
Dr. med. Rudolf Steffen
Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner

Seilerstrasse 8
3011 Bern
Schweiz
Tel.: +41 31 310 15 99
Fax: +41 31 310 15 98
E-Mail: bc@hin.ch

Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner
Professor (USC)
MMM, FACS, FEBS (hon.)

PD Dr. med. Rudolf Steffen
Specialist FMH for Surgery

Dr. med. Alejandro Metzger
Specialist FMH for Surgery

Schänzlihalde 1
CH-3013 Bern
T +41 (0)31 312 61 12
F +41 (0)31 312 61 11

Information event EIWEISS

Protein, carbohydrates, fats. These are the essential components of our diet. At the protein information event, nutritionist Deborah Beyli, BSc BHF, explains the role of protein in our nutrition system and the effect of both an undersupply and an oversupply of protein on the body. Free admission. The information event is only open to a limited number of participants. Therefore, registration is requested.

Date/Location: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., Bariatric Surgery Center. Seilerstrasse 8, 3rd floor, Bern

Registration with surname, first name, mobile phone number by e-mail to bc@hin.ch

More information at www.swiss1chirurgie.ch/eventsdetails/?action=evrplusegister&event_id=2

More information:

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The next events:

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“Team zfbc” together at the Old Town GP 2019 in Bern!

The Grand Prix will take place in Bern on Saturday, 11 May 2019. As “Team zfbc” we would like to tackle the old town route (4.7 km) together. The distance can either be run or walked.

Participation is free for the first 20 registered persons! For further participants the entry fee is CHF 43.00. Each participant will also receive a “zfbc” running shirt.

Registration: hand in the form at the clinic or send an email to bc@hin.ch

Registration deadline: Sunday, 31 March 2019

You can find more info here.