Hospital Dom Joaquim, in Sombrio, performed the first bariatric surgeries through the Unified Health System (SUS) after authorization by the State Department of Health (SES). Under the management of the Maria Schmitt Institute (Imas), the unit is the only one qualified in the southern macro-region of Santa Catarina to perform this procedure via videolaparoscopy.
The hospital’s authorization is part of the High Complexity Commitment Term for Individuals with Obesity, approved this year by the State Government. The great difference of the procedure is the technique used, videolaparoscopy, which is minimally invasive. The method uses a microcamera connected to a monitor, which allows the surgery to be performed without cuts.
“I am amazed and fulfilled by all the structure they have provided us here. All the preparation we had before the surgery, such as the consultations, the exams, the service from reception, the medical team, the entire service here is excellent, as if I were undergoing bariatric surgery at the same level as a private procedure”, he highlighted. the resident of Tubarão, Tamires Oliveria Nandi de Souza, 36 years old, who had been waiting for two years and three months. Weighing 118 kg, the teacher developed diabetes due to obesity. “My daily routine with my students was already greatly affected due to the pain and fatigue in my legs due to being overweight. From now on I will have better health and self-esteem”, she stressed.
Three and a half years ago, Karoline Nogaredo da Silva, 31 years old, weighed 170 kg and had to leave work, where she worked in general services, due to obesity. “I could no longer bend down or climb stairs. At home, I also started to have difficulty even bathing or playing with my daughter. Obesity, in addition to making everyday life difficult, caused me to develop high blood pressure, fat in the liver and heart”, reported Karoline, who also came from Turbarão for the surgery. She says that since her first consultation, in February, she has already undergone exams and evaluations to carry out the procedure. “Once we started the process, everything was immediate. We are ready for a new life,” she said alongside Tamires.
According to surgeons Marcos Eduardo Mezzomo and Diogo Nezzo, responsible for the procedure, bariatrics involves a multidisciplinary team that works in an integrated manner for the success of the procedure. “Every bariatric patient has to go through this team, which is made up of a nutritionist, psychologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist and even anesthesiologist, to be ready to perform the surgery. After the test results and patient evaluation, the technique is defined, bypass or sleeve, which are the most established in the area”, they emphasized.
Historic day for Dom Joaquim
Patients who will undergo bariatric surgery performed by the SUS are referred to Imas according to the chronological order of State regulation. According to the general director of Hospital Dom Joaquim, Marielle Dassoler, all monitoring is carried out by professionals from the unit. “In addition to the multidisciplinary team of professionals that monitors the entire process, patients undergo various laboratory and imaging tests, such as endoscopy, Doppler echo, electrocardiogram, and everything carried out by the SUS within our unit. After the surgeries, they still have a year of follow-up to finally be discharged from bariatric care,” explained the director.
According to Mariele, the goal is to perform 20 bariatric surgeries per month. “We are celebrating this great advance for public health. There was no bariatric surgery through the SUS here in the macro-region, it was a repressed demand. We are providing more health and self-esteem to our citizens, as obesity also brings with it other comorbidities, such as anxiety, depression, diabetes, hypertension and other secondary diseases. And today bariatrics is a reality for everyone to access. We want to offer quality of life to our population through the public network that is resolute, effective and humanized” she concludes.
