Page 30 - Abacoa Community News - October '24

Page 30, Abacoa
American Academy Of Pediatrics Guidelines Call For

Childhood Obesity Treatment For Disease Prevention

Children diagnosed with surgery, he said patients and their parents need to fully Institute, a general surgery and robotic surgery practice
obesity should be treated understand the procedure. focused on providing minimally invasive treatment
early and aggressively “You have to be very cautious,” said Dr. Betancourt. options and care for patients suffering from colorectal
with nutritional support, “It is not about chronological age. It is about, I would say, disease, endometriosis, hernia, and life-threatening
therapy, medication, and ‘How mature is the patient?’ because if you are going to obesity. Dr. Betancourt is on staff at Good Samaritan
in some extreme cases, undergo and put a patient through surgery, and you want Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
weight-loss surgery for to have the best outcome of the surgery, you have to be In addition, Dr. Betancourt is fluent in Spanish, his
teens 13 and up, according sure that the patient understands what the challenges are native language, and English.
to new guidelines from ahead.” Palm Beach Digital Surgery Institute is located in
the American Academy of Dr. Abraham Betancourt is a gastrointestinal and the Victor Farris Building adjacent to Good Samaritan
Pediatrics. It is the first time bariatric surgeon with nearly 20 years of experience in Medical Center at 1411 N. Flagler Drive, Suite 8900,
in 15 years the academy has practicing patient-centered medicine. His practice has West Palm Beach, FL 33401. For more information
updated its guidance. focused on people who sometimes feel most vulnerable visit palmbeachdigitalsurgeryinstitute.com or call (561)
More than 14 million Dr. Abraham Betancourt in the healthcare world, including patients facing chronic 227-9238. Find information on bariatric surgery at Good
kids live with this common, morbid obesity. Dr. Abraham Betancourt is a bariatric Samaritan Medical Center by visiting goodsamaritanmc.
chronic disease, the academy says, adding that if obesity and general surgeon with the Palm Beach Digital Surgery com/services/bariatric-surgery or call (866)-306-2225.
is untreated, it can lead to short-term and long-term
health issues, including cardiovascular disease and type
2 diabetes.
Heart disease is the number one killer among men and
women, which helps explain why the academy updated its
advice. In addition to heart disease, heart attack, stroke,
heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems are
all associated with cardiovascular disease.
While it may seem extreme to some to encourage
weight-loss surgery on a child as young as 13, the old
method of “watchful-waiting,” taking a “wait-and-see”
approach, was not working. Early intervention helps lead
to a healthier heart throughout that child’s life.
Good Samaritan Medical Center robotic and bariatric
surgeon Dr. Abraham Betancourt stated that the updated
guidance is long overdue. However, before deciding on