Alex Gandsas Bariatric Surgeon MD, MBA, FACS

I found Dr Gandsas to be a very down to earth informative and professional person. What I appreciated the most is the way he described the procedure in a basic terms. His audience are not medical professionals and as part of the general public, I understood what he was stating. I certainly enjoyed the treatment of the office and medical staff. Each and every person made sure that I knew what to expect and even assisted in the paperwork. I searched a few doctors looking at this procedure, but if I had met Dr Gandsas first, I would not have gone any further.

Dr Gandsas even explained to me how difficult my particular procedure was and I had repeated visits to make sure that I was comfortable after the procedure.

I would and have recommended his office to friends and co-workers and will continue to do so.

Thank You Dr. Gandsas and staff

Dr. Gandsas is very professional and extremely thorough. He is meticulous about his work. His technical skill is unparalleled. He has published papers regarding his technical skill.
His first impression is one of dedication to his field and commitment to having excellent outcomes. I was initially postponed for surgery because I was borderline in weight and had mild to moderate comorbidities. While some might think that is a negative, I respected that in Dr. Gandsas because it is the responsible thing to do. I am a physician and I have a unique perspective on the clinical management of complicated issues. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.
When I returned to pursue the surgery, my comorbidities had worsened and I was scheduled for surgery. The height and weight I entered on this site was the pre-op weight. I have lost 53 lbs in four months and am doing very well.
The support groups for pre-op and post-op are excellent and the whole bariatric team is superb. I received thorough counseling both psychological and nutritional. I could call anytime.
Sinai Hospital was superb. I was treated like royalty throughout the whole surgical experience. The nurses were superb. I did not have to ask for anything. My needs were anticipated.
Dr. Gandsas' bedside manner was wonderful. He was attentive to my needs and was meticulous about caring for me. Pain managemnet was flawless. I had no complications.
The bariatric nurse called me at home during the first five days to make sure I was following instructions and doing well.
I cannot say enough good things about Sinai's bariatric program and Dr. Gandsas' competence and dedication. I would recommend him to anyone.
Not a single day passes that I am happy and grateful for the surgery and the results.

Dr. Gandsas was very nice and very helpfull. He was very open and explained that,I would have to put as much work into losing weight, as he puts into the surgery.Dr. Gandsas explained to me that I would have to lose another 40 pounds before surgery. At first I was a little disappointed, but soon realize that I was not alone. The whole staff was there to help me! The staff, I can not say enough about all of them! They are a great bunch!I have been to several other Dr. and have never felt this comfortable or assured that this was the right thing for me, till Dr. Gandsas. The insurance approval was very quick. Eileen was great! I have been denied several times before, but Eileen was on top of everything and I was approved the 1st claim. To anyone even think of this surgery, you would be missing out not to check out Dr. G and his gang. They are the BEST!!!!

My experiences with Dr. Gandsas and his staff have been wonderful. Dr. Gandsas and his staff will talk you through any questions or concerns you have along the way following surgery. I have been exteremly lucky and have not had any negative side effects after the surgery, however all complications were explained to me in advance. I have lost 50 pounds to date and am about half way to my goal. I could never have done this without the surgery. The aftercare prgram is adequate, however the staff is trying very hard to imporove the quality of their aftercare program. Overall, I would rate Dr. Gandsas and his staff as excellent.

My first impression of Dr Alex Gandsas was he was a very warm personable doctor who was focused and knowledgeable about his specialty...he was very thorough,played very close attention to details and had a warm and carry staff

My impression grew stronger as I began to work with Dr.Gandsas and his staff.

His staff is very upbeat with a genuine concern and interest in each patient.

I can't think of anything I disliked about Dr. Gandsas.
Future patients should know Dr.Gandsas will do everything possible for you to get approved for surgery and prepare you with all the facts about what bariatric surgery is all about.

The aftercare program is very structured for needed support and success in reaching your weight goals as well as maintaining proper nutritian and overall health.

I would rate Dr.Alex Gandsas as an excellent surgeon.

His surgical competence and bedside manner are both excellent.

Dr. Gandsas impressed as someone who is committed and caring. Over time I got to really respect Dr. Gandsas and his entire staff. You will never find a more dedicated group of people in the medical field. There was nothing to dislike about Dr. Alex Gandsas. He is very professional. Any future patients should know that safety is his one of his top priorties. He will schedule a 2 week checkup, a one month checkup, a 3 month checkup and so on. There is a great emphasis on aftercare. There is also a structured aftercare program. Dr. Gandsas is at every support group meeting. Before I had my surgery, Dr. Gandsas made me aware of all the risks involved. I think that Dr. Gandsas is one of the best surgeons who ever operated on me. I should know because I have had nine operations before I had my bariatric surgery. One a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest rating to give my surgeon. I give Dr. Alex Gandsas a 10. His surgical competence and beside manner are both excellent. Let it be known that this is just my own personal experience. Some other people might experience something totally different.

My initial reaction was that Dr. Gandsas was truly interested in the plight of obese patients. Over time I learned just how interested he was. He takes on each case as a new experience for both himself and the patient--carefully describing the procedure and making sure that all of your questions are answered. He seems to understand when you don't know what question to ask and will probe and explain until you are fully satisfied. Being a person who does not seem to have the "average" reaction to procedures and/or medications, he took the extra time to listen to my experiences and to assure me that this surgery would work for me. His office staff is beyond compare. My PCP was very slow in providing the letter of support but Eileen (the insurance lady) doggedly pursued getting this document. Karen, his nurse, kept me on track with getting all of the pre-op work completed timely (all of the pre-op work was completed in less than 2 weeks). Paula (the receptionist) managed to rearrange appointments at the drop of a hat (when I managed to schedule two doctors in different locations for the same date and time). And last but not least, Nancy (the nutritionist) made understanding the nutrition needs exceptionally easy. Not only are they good at what they do, but they are pleasant to be around--never a frown in this group. Aftercare is important to Dr. Gandsas and he continually emphasizes the importance of keeping your appointments and maintaining your nutritional/exercise needs. A support group meets once a month for post-op patients but more importantly you must attend at least 3 pre-op support group meetings (also held monthly). Risks of the surgery, nutritional needs, importance of excercise, the effects of obesity on your heart and other organs--these are just a few of the topics covered at the pre-op support group meetings. Overall I'd give Dr. Gandsas and his staff a rating of A++ as no detail was overlooked and fully understood where I was headed. Both his surgical competence and his bedside manner (he has a wonderful sense of humor) were great. He is very thorough--pre-op workups are extensive. (My therapist had originally been against the idea of the bariatric surgery, but when she found out what was needed before Dr. Gandsas would do the surgery, she became very supportive.) I had only one surprise--the upper GI after the surgery--and that was really my fault. After I thought about it for a while, I had been told about this procedure and had it in writing, but mentally I was not ready for it. If anything, I would say that three days in the hospital was not long enough but that is probably more of an insurance complaint. My home is about 40 minutes from the hospital and the road home is not the smoothest. By the time I got home, I felt like I needed to get better in order to die--I think we hit every bump in the road twice--maybe even tree times.

My first impression of Dr. Gandsas was that he takes what he does very seriously! This is a good thing! I was ready to make a big change in my life-so I wanted to know he felt the same. His office staff is absolutely fantastic! They took care of every concern I had, the paperwork we had was not too complicated because we were approved by Mamsi before we went to him. At any rate, the dietician met with us several times and took time and care to answer all questions we had-no question was too simple or complicated. You meet with the dietician when you see Dr. Gandsas, so they check out everything that's going on with you. They are good about helping you with medications and other nursing questions. (My husband Bob had surgery on October 15, 2004 and mine was August 23, 2004)
I found Dr. Gandsas to be extremely competent and thorough as we went through the process of preparation. I was prepared over the time mentally and physically (yes, you have to do the pre-op diet) For me this took place over only about 4 months. The Pre-Op support groups were required and I think I think it is a good thing. I really learned so much from the various topics and speakers they had. Risks of the laproscopy were clearly emphasized and explained. I especially liked when they have question and answer at the meetings. Aftercare is thorough and your progress is closely monitored at 2 weeks, a month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year, then once a year for life. The Post-Op meetings deal with concerns that pop up afterwards, obviously, and being and talking with others who have been through it helps me keep perspective.

Dr. Gandsas came to see me several times a day while I was in Sinai (Friday to Sunday). I found him to be very caring and personable. My first impression only improved when I got to know Dr. Gandsas better and learned what kind of care and sincere concern he had for us, especially when my husband had his surgery. I would highly recommend Dr. Alex Gandsas and the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore for anyone considering gastric bypass. I trusted him and was not disappointed. He cares.

It is about getting healthy and I am feeling so much better: arthritis knee and leg pain is virtually gone, blood pressure is greatly improved, many medications have been stopped. I really look and feel like a new person and have lost about 80 lbs so far.

Dr. Gandsas is warm and has a nice sense of humor. He made me feel very relaxed and comfortable with him. He comes to every support group and is also very approachable personally. I have no angst about my decision to have him perform my surgery. His office staff are approachable and recognize you by name. His assistant is a little clinical but very efficient. Aftercare is mandated and encouraged for three years following surgery. Aftercare includes one year of visits with the nutritionist, the keeping of food diaries, post op support groups and at least 10 follow up visits in the firtst year following surgery. He is very frank about surgical risks and has a very low incidence of patient mortality. Thus far, I will give him a verygood rating. I'll update my information after my surgery.

Now that I am seven month out from surgery I still get the same wonderful care from Dr. Gandsas and his staff. For those of you out there looking for a wonderful team of people to help you, Dr. Gandsas and staff are the ones.
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Dr. Gandsas is a great surgeon. He really cares about his patients. From day one you could see that he was compassionate about his work. My surgery did not go without complications. I had terrible brusing on my stomach and my hemoglobin levels dropped. Dr. Gandsas and his staff were there for every step of the way. My levels stablized and that meant a few extra days in the hospital. Those extra days were the weekend. He stopped in both mornings to see how I was feeling. He even gave my wife his cell phone number in case we had any issues. I've never come across a doctor who did that. You usually have to call an on call doctor who takes forever to get to you and, you know the drill. We had to call him once and he picked up immediately. Now that's patient care. Not only is Dr. G a great doctor but his staff is tops.