Advanced Centre for Digestive Care at Fortis Hospital Chennai

Every bite we crunch, every food we munch determines the health of our body for over a period of time. A bad food habit is often linked to obesity and several other digestive issues. If the problem persists, it may sometime result in diabetes and hormonal imbalance, which in turn can bring a whole new set of issues with them. It is important for you to understand that your digestive health is as important as the health of your cardiac or brain and spine.

When it comes to digestive care, apart from the existing physical conditions, the factors inducing those conditions should be considered. This includes the nature and amount of food intake, day-to-day physical activities including running, jogging and other labor works. The absence of healthy practices will be pointed out by the consultants and a proper alteration for them needs to be done without any hindrances. Only by being harsh to your foody and cozy lifestyle needs, you can restore your healthy body. Remember, being obese also welcomes several other serious ailments that can only be cured through complicated medications and treatments.

At Fortis, this multidisciplinary department of digestive care specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of several acute and chronic diseases related to the digestive system. With our wing of gastroenterologists and surgeons, we can provide you top notch care and the most advanced treatments including full consultative services for your digestion related issues. Apart from that, we provide services in surgical gastroenterology, gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Performing intricate gastrointestinal procedures has been our forte ever since the establishment of the digestive care department.

Our specially developed methods to perform those surgeries using the minimal access technique assures faster recovery, less complication, minimum surgical trauma, pain and blood loss. This, in turn, reduces your hospital stay, allowing you to resume your normal life in no time. Moreover, this specific specialty is not just about noticing your condition, but also taking your entire lifestyle into account. Our comprehensive treatment options empowered with the leading-edge equipment and the art of knowing who you are and how you are leading your life accelerates the process of recovery. With us, the cure is just a few gulps away.

Areas of Care

SILS – Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery
 
Rather than going for the old school and complicated four to five incisions for Cholecystectomy, a single small incision is enough. This small opening can be the entry point and all the surgical instruments can be passed through this to the area the operation is required. Usually, it will be the left abdomen and umbilicus. Obviously, fewer scars denote less pain and shorter recovery periods.
At Fortis, our trained and experienced professionals perform this complicated procedure which also takes the same amount of time needed to do to traditional surgeries. This is because it involves manipulating three instruments through one opening. Even though this procedure is often linked to weight-loss, not every obese person is an applicant for this procedure.

Bariatric Surgery

Extreme obesity is no doubt a curse. But it can be nullified by several healthy lifestyle changes, mainly food habits. However, there are other recognized methods practiced to reduce the weight. Bariatric surgery, commonly known as weight loss surgery consists of a variety of procedures carried out by various methods. One of the common procedures is the restricting the amount of food your stomach can hold. This can be done by causing malabsorption or by gastric restriction. However, this can often cause hormonal changes.

At Fortis, most of these weight loss surgeries are performed using laparoscopic surgeries, which are minimally invasive. Gastric Bypass, Adjustable Gastric band, Sleeve Gastrectomy are to name a few. The advantages of these procedures include 60 to 80 percent long-term weight loss, restricting the amount of food consumption, increased energy expenditure, reducing appetite and enhancing satiety.

Single Port Surgery

Also known as Single-port laparoscopy (SPL) or single-port access surgery (SPA), this technique that employs laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure. The expert surgeon here operates exclusively through a single access point, usually made in the navel of the patient. This single scar procedure takes care of the traditional operative procedure that paves way for several scars and surgical trauma. This SPL methodology can be employed to perform many types of digestive surgeries including, adjustable gastric banding, cholecystectomy, colectomy, appendectomy, hernia fixing, hysterectomy and many more. Several advancements in this procedure are now enabling the surgeons to even handle four instruments simultaneously through a single access point. Apart from less pain and shorter recovery period, the SPL methodology delivers better cosmetic results.

Gallbladder stones

Gallbladder present in your digestive system is nothing but a sac that stores a substance produced by the liver, which is commonly called as bile. Generally, it is made of cholesterol and bilirubin, termed as a waste product. Once you had your meals, the sac contracts, thus releasing the bile into your intestines to initiate the digestion process. Gallstones form when the bile contains its raw materials in a highly concentrated form. This, in turn, forms hard stones and they cement their position in the gallbladder. The stones won't create a problem until they block the exit called the cystic duct from the gallbladder. This causes a severe abdominal pain termed as the primary symptom of this issue. The worst case scenario is sometimes there won't be any symptoms for a long time until the stone becomes large. It is a very common issue faced by many people and it requires proper and timely diet to prevent the stone formation. Medications sometimes dissolve those stones or open up the ways, but if that doesn't work, surgery becomes mandatory.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

When the digestive tract is irritable or you are facing stomach pain or any kind of discomfort for more than a month, it could be one of the common digestive conditions called Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Around 10 to 15 percent of the world population faces this issue knowingly or unknowingly. Constipation, diarrhea, hard and dry stools or loose watery stools, bloating are the categorized symptoms of this issue. Diet changes, mainly giving importance to rich fiber meals, and reducing the fat consumption, alcohol, caffeine, gastric foods can be a form of treatment. If you are having IBS, avoid stress-related situations as it may trigger or augment the symptoms.

Hernia

A hernia is likely to occur when there is muscle weakness either inherited or obtained later in life. When you tend to lift heavy objects without stabilizing the abdominal muscles, the hernia can occur. Precisely, anything that transfers a large amount of pressure in the abdomen causes a hernia. The primary symptom is a round lump bulge in the groin or scrotum. This can occur instantly or right after a few weeks of the incident. The secondary symptom is an extreme pain when you are lifting weights, coughing, bending, extreme physical work and also laughing.
Fixing the hernia can heal the pain, discomfort and relieve the symptoms including the bulge. On contrary to the popular belief, the hernia won't heal on its own. Surgery is suggested only if there is extreme pain. Ultrasound or abdominal X-rays will help us determine the nature of the condition.
Other digestive diseases treated here include,

• Rectal problems such as hemorrhoids, prolapse, anal fissure, etc.
• Liver failure, Hepatitis B or C, autoimmune issues and alcoholic hepatitis.
• Gastroesophageal reflux, Peptic ulcer, Pancreatic pseudocyst
• Intestinal problems such as Celiac disease, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, polyps, cancer and other infections.