HOMS performs the 1st Magnetic Bariatric Surgery in the Caribbean and Central America for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes
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- The Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (HOMS) has performed the first magnetic bariatric surgery in the Caribbean and Central America to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Santiago, Dominican Republic, Thursday 28 August 2025.- The Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago (HOMS), together with its Digestive, Bariatric and Precision Surgery Institute, and in collaboration with Jenner Dominicana on behalf of GT Metabolic, carried out the first Magnetic Bariatric Surgery in the Dominican Republic, Central America and the Caribbean, consolidating its position as a regional reference in surgical innovation.
The procedure involved Dr Rafael Sánchez Español, general director and bariatric surgeon; Dr Héctor Sánchez Navarro, head of robotic and bariatric surgery; and Dr James Hamilton, director of innovation and quality. The team had the honour of hosting the renowned Dr Michel Gagner, a Canadian pioneer in bariatric surgery and creator of the MagDI technique used in this operation.
Also present were Dr Brígida Navarro, gastroenterologist and director of the Digestive Studies Centre; Dr Luis Peralta; Dr Enmanuel Espinal; and a distinguished group from the HOMS Professional Medical Staff.
Magnetic bariatric surgery is a hybrid procedure that creates a partial bypass of the small intestine (between the duodenum and the ileum) by placing one magnet endoscopically in the duodenum and another laparoscopically in the ileum. The magnets attract each other to form the anastomosis, which allows faster recovery, with less pain, no blood loss and lower risk.
On this occasion, three patients were operated on with different comorbidities, among them high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, anxiety, prediabetes and lumbar and cervical hernias. The technique represents an evolution in digestive surgery, offering a safer, more precise approach with less trauma for patients.
“This has been the first procedure of its kind in the Dominican Republic, Central America and the Caribbean. At HOMS we continue to bring in cutting-edge knowledge for the benefit of our patients,” said Dr Héctor Sánchez Navarro, director of the Digestive, Bariatric and Precision Surgery Institute.
Dr Sánchez Español, for his part, stressed that HOMS maintains its commitment to being at the technological forefront, with a vocation for service based on science and humanism.
“The whole world has benefited from Dr Gagner’s advances, and we are no exception. Teaching our surgeons these techniques is part of the HOMS mission: to match the most advanced medicine. Today we showed that by hosting Dr Gagner and Dr Hamilton, performing high-technology procedures, with less pain and greater safety for the patient, in synergy with the 36 departments of HOMS.”
About Dr Michel Gagner
Dr Gagner was Franz Sichel Professor of Surgery and director of the Centre for Minimally Invasive Surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York between 1998 and 2003. He then joined Weill Cornell Medical College in New York as professor of surgery and head of the Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery Section until 2007. He was recently chair of the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami and professor of surgery at Florida International University. He is currently professor of surgery in Montreal.
Recognised for his pioneering contributions, Dr Gagner was the first to describe multiple techniques in minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic adrenalectomy for Cushing’s syndrome and phaeochromocytoma (1992), distal and proximal laparoscopic pancreatectomy (1992–1993), endoscopic neck surgery with parathyroidectomy (1995), transgastric cholecystectomy (1997), laparoscopic duodenal switch (1999) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (2000). More recently, he took part as co-surgeon in the first transatlantic robotic cholecystectomy between New York and Strasbourg, France.
About HOMS
The Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago is a pioneer in the Dominican Republic in robotic surgery and holds international accreditation from Accreditation Canada (ACI), which guarantees high standards of safety and quality. It is also positioned as a leading centre for health tourism in the country and the Caribbean region.
HOMS reaffirms its commitment to technological innovation, clinical efficiency and humane treatment, consolidating its position as a regional reference in cutting-edge medicine.