Local Surgeon Recognized

Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s Dr. Andras Sandor named Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence Designee

Hallmark Health System’s Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford is pleased to announce that Andras Sandor, MD, Chief of the Department of Surgery, has been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (BSCOE) Designee from the Surgical Review Corporation, in collaboration with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The designation is awarded in recognition of optimal performance levels, despite the fact that many obese patients present sharply increased surgical risks.

According to the Surgical Review Corporation, more than 23 million American are morbidly obese with at least 100 pounds of excess body weight and a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40. Health problems accompanying obesity may include diabetes, asthma, hypertension, high cholesterol, cardiopulmonary failure, infertility, stress incontinence and sleep apnea.

The comprehensive educational and clinical requirements of the BSCOE program were established to assess each facet of care specific to bariatric surgery patients. Once a center and its surgeons achieve this prestigious designation, they are re-evaluated every three years. BSCOE surgeons must perform at least 50 bariatric cases each year, with a minimum of 125 total bariatric cases in their lifetime.

A resident of Lexington, Dr. Sandor is board-certified in general surgery and has a special interest in advanced laparoscopic procedures. He routinely performs laparoscopic weight loss surgery including gastric bypass and Lap Band surgeries.

Dr. Sandor also recently introduced a new procedure to the hospital. The Single Incision Laparoscopic (SILS) procedure is a new type of gallbladder removal surgery that leaves virtually no scars. The procedure removes the gallbladder through a small incision in the belly button and as a result the scar from the procedure is hidden, alleviating a concern for many patients. Dr. Sandor and Lawrence Memorial Hospital are the first in the region to offer the procedure.

Dr. Sandor attended medical school in Hungary before coming to the United States and completing his post-graduate research fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine, subsequent residency and laparoscopic surgical clinical fellowship at UMASS Medical Center. He is co-author of more than 30 scientific publications, seven book chapters and has presented his results at national and international scientific conferences.

Dr. Sandor is a member of Commonwealth Surgical Associates, which is located at 91 Montvale Ave. in Stoneham. For more information about Dr. Sandor, call 781-279-1123.

For more information about Hallmark Health, visit www.hallmarkhealth.org or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/hallmarkhealth.

– Information and photo from Hallmark Health