Скачать или смотреть Gastroparesis Daily Digest 04/21/2025

Dr. Michael Hughes created Vanguard Surgical in 2019 to focus on the medical and surgical management of gastroparesis. In this video, Dr. Hughes describes a day in the life taking care of patients with gastroparesis.

Patients with gastroparesis suffer from some combination of nausea, vomiting, early satiety, bloating, and upper abdominal pain.

"Gastro" = stomach and "Paresis" = paralysis. The stomach is not really paralyzed, but patients with gastroparesis cannot empty their stomach normally. This often makes heartburn worse and exacerbates both constipation and diarrhea.

Delayed gastric emptying on a gastric emptying study confirms the diagnosis.

Dietary modification and medical management can help manage symptoms, but often surgery is needed. Dr. Hughes always offers medical management prior to surgery if appropriate. However, if surgery is needed, then Dr. Hughes is your guy.

Dr. Hughes has performed more than 3,000 surgeries for gastroparesis. For nearly all patients, surgery is laparoscopic and outpatient, meaning they go home same day. The main two surgical options are pyloroplasty and gastric stimulation. Feeding tubes are rarely needed or recommended.

According to the manufacturer of the only gastric stimulator (Enterra Medical), Dr. Hughes has placed more than any surgeon world-wide. The second busiest surgeon has placed fewer than half the number of gastric stimulators as Dr. Hughes.

While there is no way to know who has performed the most pyloroplasty surgeries, having done over 1,000 Dr. Hughes may be the most experienced.

Always ask your surgeon how many of these surgeries he or she has performed. These are complicated surgeries on chronically ill and malnourished patients. Complication rates can be high if a surgeon is not experienced.

Located in Louisville, KY, Vanguard Surgical is accessible to patients throughout the United States. Dr. Hughes offers a weekly online educational webinar for new gastroparesis patients or those just looking for more information. You can call the office at 502-912-8300 between 8am and 4pm EST to refer yourself or just sign up for the webinar.

Learn more at our website (www.vanguardsurgical.net) and check us out on Facebook (vanguardsurgical) and Instagram (vanguard.surgical).