Surgeon Introduction on Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) and Intestinal Failure

Presented by David Mercer, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS

Surgeon Dr. David Mercer
Dr. David Mercer
Presentation Overview

According to Dr. David Mercer, many different surgeons are involved in the care of patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS), but very few should actually be involved in treating it. He states that healthcare providers who deal with emergency surgeries or operate when the bowel gets removed are necessarily the same who should provide care for patients when they already have short bowel. In this presentation, Dr. David Mercer covers the different types of surgery and how it relates to short bowel, the intricate steps to short bowel surgery, ways to manage short bowel without surgery and more. 

About Dr. Mercer

David Mercer, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS,
University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska

Dr. Mercer is Professor of Surgery and Director of the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  Originally from Edmonton, Canada, he came to Nebraska to be trained as a liver and intestine transplant surgeon.  He developed a love for intestinal rehabilitation during his training and it has become the main focus of his clinical career.  He heads a specialized program that looks after hundreds of children and adults from across the country who are dealing with complex intestinal problems including short bowel syndrome, functional disorders of the small and large intestine and enterocutaneous fistulas.  His team of dietitians, nurses, social workers and gastroenterologists provides comprehensive nutritional, medical and surgical management of patients ranging from simple TPN and tube feed management to the most difficult nutritional scenarios.  He is involved in all major clinical trials in the field, and lectures on the role of intestinal rehabilitation programs in getting people off of TPN, surgical strategies in short bowel syndrome/complex intestinal problems, the role of the gut microbiome in human health and all aspects of intestinal transplantation. 

He is actively involved in clinical studies in intestinal rehabilitation and transplantation, and in the role of the gut microbiome in short bowel syndrome.

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