Bariatric Surgery

You are not alone in this journey. Our team of specialists includes surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered dietitians, psychologists, and nurses, who help you prepare for surgery, undergo a safe procedure, and maintain healthy lifestyle habits designed to ensure you achieve success. 

Our Bariatric Surgeons
Evaluate your overall health and help recommend a weight loss procedure that's right for you. Their years of experience performing minimally invasive weight loss surgery ensure the safest, most positive outcome possible. 

Our Nutritionist and Behavioral Health Providers
Meet with you individually and in group settings to address your concerns and recommend ways to overcome challenges. We help you adopt a healthy lifestyle, so you lose weight and keep it off.

Our Nurses and Financial Counselors
Navigate you through your insurance benefits and requirements, evaluation, and testing. Our bariatric coordinator helps before and after your surgery and hospitalization.

Monthly Support Groups
Meet people coping with similar experiences. We encourage you, your family, and your friends to attend these free, virtual support groups before and after your weight loss surgery. Monthly topics cover nutrition, exercise, lifestyle changes, and more.

Our Facebook Group
Connects you (once you are a Duke patient) with others waiting for surgery or who have had a procedure. They discuss their achievements and struggles, ask questions, and share what works for them.

We Are an MBSAQIP-accredited Bariatric Surgery Center
Our weight loss program at Duke Regional Hospital is accredited as a Comprehensive Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP. In addition, our weight loss surgery program is recognized by private insurance companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and Optum. We have achieved their recognition because we consistently deliver high-quality bariatric care, comprehensive services, and positive patient outcomes.

We Are Certified to Offer Bariatric Surgery to Teens
Duke Regional Hospital is accredited to perform weight loss surgery in adolescents by the MBSAQIP of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Duke Regional Hospital was the first North Carolina hospital and one of the few in the country with accreditation to offer weight loss surgery options to teens ages 14 to 18, and is one of the few in the country with MBSAQIP accreditation.

You May Be a Candidate for Weight Loss Procedures Not Widely Available
We are involved in studies of new variations on existing weight loss surgery methods that are not standard in the U.S. but show promise in research studies and other countries. We may be able to enroll you in a clinical trial for these procedures, depending on your condition and whether the procedure could be right for you.

Our Surgeons Correct Complications from Previous Weight Loss Surgeries
Our surgeons work with people who experience complications from old weight loss procedures, such as stomach stapling (vertical banded gastroplasty, or VBG), jejunoileal bypass, and other historical procedures that are no longer performed. If you are experiencing complications, we can diagnose your concerns and offer solutions. Our experience handling all complications associated with weight loss surgeries is well-known. Other physicians often refer their patients to us when complications occur.

Weight Loss Surgery Revision Options
If you have weight recurrence following weight loss surgery, we evaluate your anatomy, behavior, and medical conditions to determine a treatment strategy. If appropriate, we offer revision options, depending on your original procedure.

We Use the Latest Advances in Endoscopic Procedures
While these procedures are not covered by insurance and have not been available for as long as the standard weight-loss surgeries, they show promise. Our bariatric surgeons and our gastroenterologist are trained to perform endoscopic weight loss procedures, such as the gastric balloon. They evaluate your medical condition to determine if you may benefit from one of these less invasive approaches.

We Employ New Surgical Approaches that Make Smaller incisions
As leaders in bariatric surgery, we are often among the first in the U.S. to employ new surgical approaches designed to improve outcomes. For example, we use different robotic techniques, magnets, and tiny surgical instruments to decrease incision sizes to the point where only one incision may be needed and leave an almost invisible scar. These new technologies also increase your surgeon's ability to see and maneuver around organs during your surgery.