LOUISVILLE John S. Oldham, Jr, MD, reached a major milestone at Baptist Health Louisville having performed his 1,000th Lap Gastric Sleeve procedure utilizing the Standard Clamp in December 2020. There are nearly 4,000 bariatric surgeons in the U.S. Oldham is the first in Kentucky to have performed 1,000 Lap Gastric Sleeves while using the Standard Clamp by Standard Bariatrics.
Oldham began performing bariatric surgery procedures at Baptist in the early 2000s. During that time, he offered his patients the lap band, lap bypass, and then eventually the lap sleeve as it became popular in late 2007–2008.
Prior to the Standard Clamp introduction, Oldham had performed more than 5,000 sleeve procedures. Oldham is one of the first in the country to have performed 1,000 sleeve procedures with the clamp, a newer and more efficient technique. Oldham is currently performing approximately 40 clamp sleeve gastrectomies per month.
“The Standard Clamp has allowed us to advance our technology, giving us a tool that provides the most precision possible,” says Oldham. “This is just one way we can implement the newest in technology to aid in patient outcomes.”
Oldham performs both lap bypass and lap sleeve gastrectomy primarily with a favoritism toward the lap gastric sleeve procedure.
Oldham began using the Standard Clamp when it was introduced in early 2019, as it aids in improving the sleeve geometry, making the sleeve pouch more precise and straight along the staple line division where the stomach remnant is removed.
The Standard Clamp comes in two sizes, 22 cm and 25 cm. Oldham usually uses the 22 cm size but on occasion uses the 25cm clamp. He gauges the size needed upon visual examination of the stomach size at the time of surgery. The Clamp streamlines the procedure and allows him to perform a stapled guide along the anatomical landmarks that are critical for the procedure.
“We use it on all patients who have a sleeve because it makes a nice, straight perfect sleeve. By making that perfect sleeve, it has helped decrease the amount of acid reflux that some patients can have. We’ve seen less nausea and less heartburn by using the clamp,” says Oldham. Anecdotally, Oldham says that in seeing patients post-op in the office, there appears to be better weight loss.