LISA HANCHEY

Louisiana has the eighth highest rate of obesity in the nation. Seeing a need for weight loss surgeons in the state, general and bariatric surgeon Dr. Uyen B. Chu decided to set up her practice in South Louisiana. Since moving to Lafayette in 2001, Chu made her mark by being one of the first general surgeons in Acadiana to be trained in laparoscopic surgery on the colon, stomach, esophagus, spleen, pancreas, and adrenal gland, with a specialty in bariatric surgery. In 2005, she was designated a Center of Excellence surgeon by the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons.

After completing medical school at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Chu traveled to the University of Florida in Jacksonville for her general surgical residency. Next, she went to the University of Kentucky for a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery to specialize in advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery. With the explosion in minimally invasive weight loss surgery, Chu decided to apply her laparoscopic skills to bariatrics.

Her desire to start a family led this New Orleans native to move to Acadiana with her husband, Navy aviator Albert Matt, a New Iberian. Currently, Chu serves as the director of the Southwest Surgical Weight Management Center at The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana, which also has the Center of Excellence designation by the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons. She also performs surgery at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette. Additionally, she practices with two other surgeons in Lafayette and six in Covington with The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana.

In her practice, Chu performs all types of laparoscopic weight loss surgery, including adjustable gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and the duodenal switch. “The field of bariatric surgery was appealing because we are able to perform the surgery and help people with so many different medical problems – diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea and osteoarthritis,” Chu explained. “The diabetes is the most profound because, after the weight loss surgery, the patients can actually get off of the diabetes medications. And then, it also helps them with cholesterol problems and decreases the risk of heart of attacks in the future, once they get the cholesterol under control with weight loss surgery. It’s really amazing for a surgeon to be able to address those medical problems.”

The newest procedure Chu performs is the sleeve gastrectomy. With this technique, the surgeon reduces the size of the stomach by 70 percent. “We are always trying to find a less invasive procedure that gives us the same great results,” she said. “The sleeve gastrectomy is the newest procedure that appears to have fewer complications with great weight loss profiles.”

Compared to other procedures, Chu finds that the gastric bypass has the best weight loss profile. But, if patients do not maintain their healthy eating habits and exercise, they still have a chance of regaining the weight. With the gastric sleeve, patients have less weight regain. “The lap band only restricts intake, whereas with the sleeve, you are actually cutting away 70 percent of the stomach,” Chu explained. “When you cut away 70 percent of the stomach, you are actually cutting away some of the hormones which are affecting the metabolism of the body. So, with this procedure, we can actually change metabolism of their bodies.”

Chu’s Covington partners are in the process of perfecting a new weight loss procedure which is performed through the mouth. “Through performing endoscopy, we can actually reduce the size of the stomach by sewing from the inside,” Chu explained. “So, we’ll be able to offer it to people who are maybe just overweight.” Her colleagues are now involved in an FDA trial for this innovative technique.

Whatever the procedure, Chu emphasizes that weight loss surgery is more than just an operation. “It really involves a comprehensive team – dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists – to maintain long-term weight loss, because you can get off track and regain weight,” she stressed. “That’s the important thing – it’s not just an operation, it’s a lifestyle change that you can make.”

When the busy surgeon is not working, she spends time with her two daughters – seven-year-old Jessica and two-year-old Samantha. While her husband is flying around the country, Chu shuttles her daughters to piano and dance lessons. She also serves as president of the Lafayette Parish Medical Society. Her hobbies include marathon running and computer programming. “My husband always says, ‘if you ever quit medicine, you can always become a programmer and stay at home,’” she said with a laugh.