The aim of the symposium is to familiarize the audience with the current status and future directions of treatments for morbid obesity, diverticulitis, gastroparesis, chronic groin pain, hernias and intraoperative bleeding. The diagnostic and treatment approaches to these conditions continue to evolve at a rapid pace. For bariatric surgery, our understanding of the mechanisms behind weight loss and remission of comorbid conditions is continually being updated. Minimally invasive approaches to providing treatment to these patients are also evolving rapidly. With new available for weight loss, we have seen greater complexity in managing complications. Updates regarding the management of bariatric surgery patients is therefore a portion of generally surgery practice which requires attention.

New consensus management recommendations for diverticulitis have recently been published. There have been significant changes in the recommended treatment strategies. Likewise, new approaches for the treatment of conditions such as gastroparesis, intraoperative bleeding, chronic groin pain and hernias have changed the way that we manage these patients. Updates regarding these treatment strategies will be discussed and debated. We will also include a session which focuses on the utility of specialty-specific quality collaboratives.

Specific patient scenarios will be presented to the audience prior to the presentations in each track. Upon completion of each speaker’s talk there will be an opportunity for open debate and discussion. There will also be a session devoted to interesting cases which highlight and reinforce the concepts covered in the presentations. We hope to see that the audience will at least understand or consider alternatives to treatment they might not have considered prior to attending this course.