Meet Dr. Matthew Bagan

A board certified General Surgeon, Dr. Bagan is dedicated to the health and well being of his patients. He specializes in general and bariatric surgery and has substantial experience performing the Lap-Band procedure, surgery of the breast and abdomen, laparoscopic procedures, upper and lower endoscopies and capsule "pill cam" endoscopy.  

Dr. Matthew Bagan graduated from Hobart College and obtained his medical degree from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed his internship at Delaware Valley Medical Center and his surgical residency at St. John's Episcopal Hospital and Peninsula Hospital in New York. He has been practicing General Surgery in Port Charlotte, Florida since 2001.

Dr. Bagan is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, Florida Medical Society and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Dr. Matthew Bagan is a Board Certified General Surgeon performing a variety of general surgery cases and is currently the Medical Director of Fawcett Memorial's Bariatric Program. He has been practicing general surgery in Port Charlotte since 2001.

How did you decide what you wanted to specialize in?

I was fortunate enough to first observe surgery in an operating room as a teenager growing up in New Jersey.  From that moment on, I knew that was what I wanted to do.   After many years of hard work my dream eventually became a reality.  Being a surgeon is still exciting and challenging. The ability to treat people who are diagnosed with cancer and other illnesses as well as helping others overcome obesity is extremely rewarding and gratifying.

You are the Medical Director of the Bariatric Program at Fawcett Memorial, what does that involve?

As the Medical Director of the program, it is my responsibility to help direct and lead my bariatric team of physicians, nurses and supporting staff to provide a safe, friendly, and comforting atmosphere in a state of the art facility in order to provide first class bariatric surgery to our community.

What is Gastric Banding?

Gastric Banding is the safest, least invasive, easily reversible and only adjustable surgical weight loss treatment for obesity available in the United States.   It helps patients achieve sustained weight loss by placing an adjustable band around the upper part of the stomach to reduce its capacity.

The band is placed around the upper part of the.  This creates a new, smaller stomach pouch and leaves the larger part of the stomach below the band. This reduces the food storage area in the stomach since the pouch above the band can only hold a small amount of food. The band also controls the size of the opening between the two parts of the stomach. The size of the opening regulates the flow of food from the upper to the lower part of the stomach. When the band is filled with saline the opening between upper pouch and lower stomach becomes small and prevents food from eliminating into the lower part of the stomach. When the new smaller upper stomach pouch becomes distended with food, you will feel full with much smaller meals and will therefore individuals can lose significant weight by eating less food. .

During the procedure, an access port is placed beneath the skin which is connected to the band via a long tube.  Later, we can open or constrict the band by adding or subtracting saline inside the inner balloon through the access port. This process helps adjust the band and therefore customize it to each individual since no two people are the same.  Over time the band can be adjusted to achieve the results we are looking for.  Also one of the greatest advantages of the band is that it can be reversed safely by removing all the saline which will allow an individual to eat like they did prior to having the surgery.  This is import for certain circumstances such as pregnancy or other times such as an illness when increase caloric intake may be necessary. 

Gastric banding was developed in partnership with leading bariatric surgeons around the world to eliminate many of the known and associated operative risks of other weight loss surgeries.  The surgery is performed laparoscopically through small incisions, which offers the advantages of reduced pain and shortened recovery period. There is no cutting or stapling of the stomach or bypassing the intestines.  The majority of patients will be discharged home the same day of the surgery or stay one night at the hospital.   

Your practice was recently awarded the designation "Lap-Band Total Care Program." What does that mean?

We are very proud to be recognized with such an honor.  The LAP-BAND TOTAL CARE^TM Program represents a standard of excellence in the assessment, treatment and ongoing care of adjustable gastric banding patients.   The LAP-BAND TOTAL CARE^TM Program, developed by Allergan based on the worldwide experience with the LAP-BAND^® System, is a comprehensive set of clinical and operational "best practices". What does this mean for you, the patient?  It means that our team can access the LAP-BAND TOTAL CARE^TM tools we need to give you the best care, information and support possible. These tools are designed to support surgeons and patients throughout the lifestyle and body image transformation, from your first contact with the front desk to your day in the operating room and ultimately to your long-term weight loss success.    Our office team includes a bariatric coordinator, office assistant, nutritionist and personal trainer. This team approach is the key to our patient's ongoing success with gastric banding and we currently have over 300 gastric banding patients in our practice.  Our office is the only Lap-Band Total Care program from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale!

What other services do you offer?

I perform a wide variety of surgical procedures and specialize in breast surgery (including biopsy, lumpectomy and mastectomy), minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures, abdominal surgery (including hernia repair, gallbladder surgery, colon resection, gastric surgery and appendectomy), as well as endocscopic procedures such as colonoscopy and upper endoscopy.   I also offer the "small bowel pill cam" endoscopy which is a relatively new technology in which the patient swallows a tiny pill which has a small camera inside which records imagines of the entire small intestine which often cannot be visualized by traditional colonoscopy or upper endoscopy .  This has proven very helpful in determining disease that prior to this technology was difficult to diagnose.  Our office also offers laser services including hair removal, lesion removal and laser facials.  More complete information about our practice can be found at http://www.bagansurgical.com/ and I welcome patients to visit the website.