Dr. Artuso Provides Integrated Approach to Weight Loss

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in America and is one of the major health problems confronting the nation. Approximately 50 percent of the population is overweight, and over 10 million Americans are morbidly obese, that is, more than 100 pounds over their ideal weight.

With this in mind, Dominick P. Artuso, M.D. has established the Surgical Weight Loss Center at the Dobbs Ferry Pavilion. Dr. Artuso has been performing bariatric or weight loss surgery for more than three years. More importantly, he is one of the few surgeons in the region well-versed in the relatively young laproscopic gastric bypass surgical technique in addition to the more invasive and traditional gastric bypass operations.

"Every day, more and more individuals are diagnosed as suffering from severe obesity," Dr. Artuso says. "They face increased health risks including heart disease, hypertension and diabetes as well as certain cancers. Excess weight can also cause sleep apnea, as well as arthritis and back pain. In addition, low self-esteem and clinical depression are often tied to an individual's relationship with their weight and quality of life. When previous efforts at weight loss, including medically supervised diets and exercise and behavioral modification programs fail, surgery may be the only way to avoid premature death."

Prior to establishing the Surgical Weight Loss Center last April, Dr. Artuso was the Director of the Trauma Unit at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. He received his medical degree from Universidad Cetec in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in 1981. Thereafter, he interned and completed his residency in general surgery at New York Medical College in Valhalla. He completed a fellowship in Surgical Care at Westchester Medical Center in 1990.

Certified in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, Dr. Artuso joined Westchester Medical Center as an Attending Surgeon and began teaching at New York Medical College as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in 1994. He is a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, the American Medical Association, the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Westchester County Medical Society. One of the leading authorities on bariatric surgery, he continues to publish and lecture on the subject.

At the Dobbs Ferry Pavilion, the Surgical Weight Loss Center offers an integrated approach to weight loss in a private setting. For a consultation, please call (914) 693-0055.