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Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center

What would it be like to shed 100 pounds—the weight of 10 bowling balls—off your body and to be able to keep it off? Would you be healthier? More active? Would you live longer?

Bariatric Logo

The Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center at The St. Luke Hospitals has been certified a Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The ASMBS grants this designation only to bariatric surgery centers across the country that have the best patient results.

The Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center has improved the quality of life for more than 850 patients, not only through weight loss but also by improving or resolving diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea, to name a few conditions.


Dear Visitor,

Thank you for viewing our website. You can learn how our Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center at The St. Luke Hospitals may be able to help you take control of your weight—and your life! For people who are severely obese and have related health conditions, weight-loss surgery may be the solution. Studies show that weight-loss surgery, compared to nonsurgical treatments, yields the longest period of continued weight loss in patients who have not had success with other therapies. In addition, laparoscopic weight-loss surgery, which is minimally invasive, has been proven to have many benefits over open surgeries.

To achieve the best results, patients need to actively participate in a multidisciplinary weight-loss program that includes an experienced bariatric surgeon, as well as experts to provide nutritional, emotional and exercise support. The highly trained team at The St. Luke Hospitals is committed to providing the highest level of patient care every step of the way. My name is Tom Sonnanstine, MD, and I am the medical director of the center. I am the first board-certified surgeon in Northern Kentucky who is fellowship-trained in bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. I trained at Tufts-New England Medical Center and have performed more than 850 laparoscopic gastric bypasses, more than 250 Lap Band procedures and more than 200 revisional bariatric operations. I am looking forward to working with you and our other team members to develop a weight loss program that works for you.

If you would like to arrange a consultation, call us at 859-212-GOAL and we will be happy to schedule one for you. Once you have scheduled an appointment , we will send you a welcome packet with forms and more information about what you need to bring with you to your appointment. These items include:

  • A copy of your insurance plan coverage booklet
  • A copy of your insurance card
  • A list of the medications you are taking for obesity-related health conditions
  • Documentation of your prior supervised weight-loss attempts such as copies of a sign-in sheet or canceled checks for a commercial weight-loss program.
  • Documentation of days you missed from work due to weight-related conditions
  • Records from primary care physicians regarding your treatment for obesity-related conditions
  • Operative reports from any prior surgery, if applicable.

Please note that weight-loss surgery is not an overnight process. There are many required steps that involve multiple parties. We will make every effort to expedite this process for you and will keep you informed along the way.

We look forward to helping you achieve your health goals.

Sincerely,

Tom Sonnanstine, MD
Medical Director
Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center
The St. Luke Hospitals
The Most Advanced Surgical Techniques

The Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center specializes in the laparoscopic approach to weight-loss surgery. This is the most advanced type of weight-loss surgery available because it is minimally invasive. The surgeon needs to make only a small incision, rather than a large opening, to perform laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery also has many benefits over open surgery, including:

  • Less pain
  • Shorter hospitalization
  • Better wound healing
  • Less scarring

In addition, wound complications, such as hernias and infections, are reduced from almost 30 percent with open surgeries to less than 1 percent with laparoscopic techniques.

Because laparoscopic weight-loss surgery is more technically advanced, it is important to have a surgeon who is experienced in the technique. Dr. Sonnanstine at St. Luke specializes in laparoscopic weight-loss surgery and has completed more than 1200 laparoscopic weight loss procedures.

State-of-the-art hospital facilities

It's reassuring to know that the Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center is located in St. Luke Hospital West, a full-service hospital that provides the most advanced technology and services for all of your health care needs.

There are many benefits to having your weight-loss surgery performed in a full-service hospital setting. Our patients are treated in state-of-the-art surgical suites and provided with excellent inpatient care. In addition, you can get all of your care in one facility. If you have other medical needs, such as diabetes treatment or physical therapy, we can coordinate these services with your surgical weight-loss care.

Other weight loss options

The St. Luke Hospitals offer several other weight-loss services that may be used separately or in conjunction with surgical weight-loss treatment. Our experts can help find a weight loss program that is right for you. Visit our Weight Treatment pages for more details. Some of our services include:

  • Weight-Loss Counseling, a program to help you change your eating practices and personal habits. Your professional medical counselor can coach you on:
    • How to avoid falling back into old habits
    • How to keep the weight off
    • Flexible and suitable food choices
    • Individual exercise and fitness programs
    • Improving your metabolism
  • NutriMed, a medically supervised liquid diet to promote weight loss
  • Phase III Fitness Program, an exercise and lifestyle management program that provides a safe, monitored, progressive approach to exercise rehabilitation.
  • Diabetes Management Program, an empowering program for anyone diagnosed with diabetes and seeking a holistic, multi disciplinary approach to health care and well-being.

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Contact us

For more information about the Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center at The St. Luke Hospitals, please call 859-212-GOAL. Dr. Sonnanstine can be reached by email at thomas.sonnanstine_IV@healthall.com. For information about The St. Luke Hospitals Weight Treatment Services, please call 859-212-4625.

Know someone who wants to lose weight?

Are you ready to start the new year off with a new look? For some people who are overweight, dieting and exercising just don’t work. Is weight-loss surgery the solution? Come find out more at the FREE information sessions with leading bariatric surgeon Tom Sonnanstine, MD, of the Tristate Surgical Weight Loss Center at The St. Luke Hospitals. Patients have traveled from as far away as Florida to see Dr. Sonnanstine. The Center makes special arrangements for its out-of-town patients.

Registration is required. Please call 859-212-4625. Space is limited, so make your reservation now! Information sessions are held the first Thursday of each month.

To make an appointment for a consultation, call 859-212-GOAL.

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