Hudson Valley Health

“Overweight patients coming to us have usually exhausted all other traditional measures to achieve weight loss: Weight Watchers®, Atkins Diet®, or gym membership. We are the last resort,” says Dr. Firas Hamdi, bariatric surgeon at Crystal Run Healthcare. Dr. Firas Hamdi and Dr. Sergey Zhitnikov offer bariatric surgery as a tool to allow these patients to be on a diet without suffering from hunger and an opportunity to improve their lives, their health and their future.
But in order to qualify for bariatric surgery, whether it be lap band or gastric bypass, a patient must present with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters). If he/she suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and/or sleep apnea, a BMI of 35 qualifies for bariatric surgery. Once they qualify, patients must go through an intensive process that includes blood work, evaluations from a cardiologist, pulmonologist and nutritionist, as well as joining a support group. At Crystal Run Healthcare, all those appointments can be done in one day, in one place, and all of the services are connected through shared electronic records.
Modern bariatric surgery is safe and offers a three-fold plan for success. “As Fellowship trained surgeons,” says Dr. Sergey Zhitnikov, “we provide meticulous preparation of the patient for surgery and long term follow-up care after.” Both doctors, who work together as a team, have excellent qualifications. Both are board certified in General Surgery.
Dr. Firas Hamdi received his Medical Degree from Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica, West Indies. He completed a General Surgery Residency at Sound Shore Medical Center and Danbury Hospital/New York Medical College, New Rochelle where he served as Chief Resident. He completed a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery at New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York and is a member of the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons.
Dr. Sergey Zhitnikov received his Medical Degree from Odessa Medical University in the Ukraine and practiced medicine there for ten years. He completed a Residency in General Surgery and a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Westchester Medical Center/ New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. He is a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.
The doctors provide both lap band and gastric bypass procedures. “Some patients choose gastric bypass surgery because they don’t want a foreign body in them that requires adjustments, as in the lap band procedure. Others don’t want the gastric bypass since it is more invasive. Gastric bypass is still the ‘gold standard’,” says Dr. Hamdi, “since patients lose weight faster and maintain weight loss longer.”
But whatever option is chosen, Dr. Zhitnikov wants all prospective patients to know, “To be successful, it’s important the patient is compliant to the whole program, including diet, exercise, and counseling.”