Nationally recognized for high quality gastroenterology and GI surgery, Hoag’s Foregut (Esophagus & Stomach) Program delivers advanced medical management and surgical techniques for complex esophageal and stomach disorders.
These are the disorders that keep people up at night in intense pain. The medical conditions that impair a person’s ability to socialize. To enjoy life. Hoag’s expert medical team provides the comprehensive care that brings medical relief to patients – while also listening deeply and compassionately to help alleviate the burden that foregut issues impose on people’s lives.
“No symptom is irrelevant. Every day we see how foregut related issues impact mental wellbeing and the quality of a person’s life,” said Katherine Blevins, M.D., Ph.D., a fellowship-trained surgeon skilled in the most advanced, minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic techniques. “These surgeries and treatment options can be life-altering.”
Hoag’s Foregut Program treats patients contending with esophageal and gastric cancers, gastric ulcers, hiatal hernias, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and more, through innovative technology and treatment options.
Always on the forefront of introducing innovations that eventually become the standard of care, Hoag is one of only a few centers in California offering the revolutionary LINX Reflux Management System, a FDA-approved device that treats GERD and relieves acid reflux symptoms such as heartburn, regurgitation and nausea.
Hoag is also a national leader in transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF), a minimally invasive procedure that combines endoscopic repair with robotic surgery to correct a weakened esophageal sphincter and eliminate GERD.
In addition to cutting-edge technologies and pioneering approaches, Hoag is unique in the comprehensive way it delivers care through the Hoag Digestive Health Institute.
“With multiple specialists under one roof, we can talk with our colleagues just down the hall and truly collaborate about the best treatment plan for each patient,” said Adrian Dobrowolsky, M.D., director of the Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss Program at Hoag, and a board-certified specialist in minimally invasive surgery for weight loss and diseases of the esophagus and stomach. “This allows for the best possible outcome for patients, the one that makes a meaningful difference in their health and in their quality of life.”
Patients say the positive outcomes start with the respect and compassion of Hoag’s quality medical team.
“If you feel like you’re not being heard, go to Hoag,” said Erin Bowlus, who underwent a Nissen fundoplication procedure with Dr. Dobrowolsky after doctors at another hospital dismissed her GERD-related symptoms.
After thorough testing and discussing various treatment options with Erin, Dr. Dobrowolsky wrapped the top of Erin’s stomach around her lower esophagus, reinforcing the esophageal sphincter and making it less likely for acid to back up. Her life – which had been altered by crushing chest pain, a reliance on high-dose reflux medication and a severely limited diet – has been restored.
“I feel so much better,” she said. “It has lifted this weight off of me. Everyone was so amazing. I couldn’t recommend them enough.”
To learn more about the Digestive Health Institute, watch our video or visit Hoag’s Digestive Health Institute.
