HOMS performs the 1st magnetic bariatric surgery in the Caribbean and Central America for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes

Santiago.- The Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago (HOMS), along with its Digestive, Bariatric and Precision Surgery Institute, and in collaboration with Jenner Dominicana representing GT Metabolic, carried out the first Magnetic Bariatric Surgery in the Dominican Republic, Central America and the Caribbean, establishing itself as a regional leader in surgical innovation. The procedure involved the participation of Dr. Rafael Sánchez Español, general director and bariatric surgeon; Dr. Héctor Sánchez Navarro, head of robotic and bariatric surgery; and Dr. James Hamilton, director of innovation and quality. This team had the honor of receiving the renowned Dr. Michel Gagner, a Canadian pioneer in bariatric surgery and creator of the MagDI technique, used in this intervention. Also present were Dr. Brígida Navarro, gastroenterologist and director of the Center for Digestive Studies; Dr. Luis Peralta; Dr. Enmanuel Espinal; and a distinguished group from the HOMS Professional Medical Corps.

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Magnetic bariatric surgery is a hybrid procedure that creates a partial bypass of the small intestine (between the duodenum and the ileum) by placing a magnet endoscopically in the duodenum and another laparoscopically in the ileum. These magnets attract each other to form the anastomosis, which allows for faster recovery, with less pain, no blood loss, and lower risk. On this occasion, three patients with different comorbidities were operated on, including high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, anxiety, prediabetes, and lumbar and cervical hernias. This technique represents an evolution in digestive surgery, offering a safer, more precise approach with less trauma for patients.

“This has been the first procedure of its kind in the Dominican Republic, Central America, and the Caribbean. At HOMS, we continue to import cutting-edge knowledge for the benefit of our patients,” stated Dr. Héctor Sánchez Navarro, director of the Digestive, Bariatric, and Precision Surgery Institute.

For his part, Dr. Sánchez Español highlighted that HOMS maintains its commitment to be at the technological forefront, with a vocation for service based on science and humanism. “The entire world has benefited from Dr. Gagner’s advances, and we are no exception. Teaching our surgeons these techniques is part of HOMS’ mission: to be at the forefront of the most advanced medicine. Today we demonstrate this by receiving Dr. Gagner and Dr. Hamilton, performing high-tech procedures, with less pain and greater safety for the patient, in synergy with the 36 departments of HOMS.”

About Dr. Michel Gagner

Dr. Gagner was a professor of Franz Sichel Surgery and director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York from 1998 to 2003. He then joined the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York as a professor of Surgery and head of the Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery Section until 2007. He was recently chairman of the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami and professor of Surgery at Florida International University. He is currently a professor of Surgery in Montreal. Recognized for his pioneering contributions, Dr. Gagner was the first to describe multiple techniques in minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic adrenalectomy for Cushing’s syndrome and pheochromocytoma (1992), laparoscopic distal and proximal pancreatectomy (1992–1993), endoscopic neck surgery with parathyroidectomy (1995), transgastric cholecystectomy (1997), laparoscopic duodenal switch (1999), and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (2000). More recently, he participated as a co-surgeon in the first trans-Atlantic robotic cholecystectomy between New York and Strasbourg, France.

About HOMS

The Metropolitan Hospital of Santiago is a pioneer in the Dominican Republic in robotic surgery and has the international accreditation of Accreditation Canada (ACI), which guarantees high safety and quality standards. Likewise, it is positioned as a leading health tourism center in the country and in the Caribbean region. HOMS reaffirms its commitment to technological innovation, clinical efficiency, and humanized treatment, consolidating itself as a regional benchmark in cutting-edge medicine.