Ravindra Mailapur Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Testing: Excellent surgeon!

Dr. Ravindra Mailapur is a wonderful surgeon and above that he goes beyond his profession to be a friend. He listens to your needs and problems no matter what time. The staff is very friendly and always greet you with a smile. I would recommend him to any friend or family member,because of his dedication and loyality to his patients. I appreciate the time he dedicates to his support meetings and nutritional counseling.
Before surgery he emphasizes coming to one of his seminars which gives a full detail of risks and complications of having the surgery. On a scale of 1-10 Dr.Mailapur is a 10.He is great surgeon overall and very caring.

Matilda Abernathy
Huntsville, AL
3 months post OP

Prior to Bariatric surgery, it was imperative that I find a good surgeon along with a good staff. Dr. Mailapur and his staff’s background of caring, competency and knowledge was very impressive.

Dr. Mailapur’s dedication, love of his family and spirituality are commendable. Success is imperative to him. His personal goal is to insure that each patient reaches a healthy life.

Due to his continual updating, attending the medical seminar and inputting improvements, I foresee Dr. Mailapur becoming more and more renowned in the field of bariatrics.

I have been blessed with a new beginning for a long, healthy life. Bariatric surgery is a wonderful way of life and Dr. Mailapur is a wonderful surgeon!

S. Jean Smith,
Blountsville, AL

He is very knowledgeable,very nice and seems to be very caring. He answered all my questions and my husband's too. He is very professional without being overbearing just because he is a doc. We were very impressed with him. I feel that he is a very good doc.
He really emphasizes aftercare and committment to a life long weight management. He explains the risks in detail not to scare you but to make you aware of how important it is to follow instructions so that you will have a speedy recovery without any of these happening to you.He exhibits both surgical competence and a good bedside manner which I think it is important to have a good rappor with patients, and to also instill in them a confidence in his ability.

My first impression was in a seminar I attended and he seemed to be very knowlegeable. He explained everything that you would need to know, from insurance , to pre-op to post-op, complications that could occur. Everything . You were allowed to ask questions if you had any. My impression over time did not change. I found out from the nursing staff at the hospital that he was a real advocate for his patients and made sure before surgery that they were able to have the surgery through various screenings, labs,psych cosults, cardiac screenings. As well as post-op if anything came up he called in specialist to evaluate just to make sure the patients had the best care and that nothing would be left unaddressed . His office staff was great. They were always professional in their behavior towards the patients and very helpful and also answered questions that you had, without making you feel silly or riduculous. What I liked least about him, I don't really have anything that I don't like about him . I was just satisfied that everything came out fine with my surgery. I had no complications. I am recovering just fine and losing weight. That is what I wanted and thats is what I got. So I really have no complaints at all about him. Future patients should know that he takes every precaution, he makes sure that their body is capable to handle the stress of the surgery before doing it. He cares about his patients and that is important. He has a structured aftercare program to make sure you are progressing as you should that you are having no problems. Any concerns are addressed. Scheduled doctors appts at certaing intervals to mointor your progress. Dietian right their in the office to answer questions and instruct you on what foods to eat and when. The risk of surgery was addressed early in the seminar, during pre-op doctors visits as well. He gave information that you could take home with you to read about. All the complications, risks etc. Everything that could possibly go wrong was discussed with you so that you would know . You could also call the office if any question came up that you needed answering. Overall on a scale from 1-10 with 10 being perfect. I would give him a 9. No one is perfect so no one would get a 10 from me anyway. But he is good, concerned about his patients, answered questions. Bedside manner was appropriate. I think bedside manner is very important. It is also neccessary to have surgical competence. They need to go hand in hand. One is no greater than the other. There should be a balance . Howerver, I beleive that when a health professional has a bad bedside behavior all the surgical competence, great book knowledge , all of that brain power will not even be acknowledged. A person will just simply seek someone else who has both qualities. I just want to add that my only negative experiece that I had in my whole hospital stay was a certain cardiologist that came to make rounds because he thought he saw something abnormal about my heart while I was in surgery. He wanted me to have a certain test done that would add even more stress to my body. I did not want anymore stress. I had just had the surgery and that was enough stres . I refused this test twice. He did not have good bedside behavior at all. He made a comment to me that no one should ever make to a patient. He said "if you don't care about your health" I thought that was an awful thing to say. You should never say this to your patient. For whatever reason a person refuses a test the doctor should have enough professionalism about him to be understanding, kind, concerned and don't say something stupid like "if you don't care about your health. I care very much about my health, that is why I refused that test in the first place. I just did not feel good about that test at all. So it seemed to me that he was not at all concerned about what I wanted because if he did that comment would not even have come out of his mouth. And upon my discharge he did not even come to room neither did his assistant. I had questions I needed to ask of him. I had to call the heart center to ask a nurse questions. Needless to say I really don't want to have anything to do with him anymore.
He just seemed to be on his own page , his own path and what I wanted or didn't want to happen was not important. It left me wondering if he cared about my health. A patient has a right to say yes or no to what ever a doctor suggest, after all it is their bodies. If anything goes wrong who will be left to suffer. It will be you, certainly no the doctor. They will be off sailing somewhere on the high seas and you are at home suffering and wondering what the heck when wrong. If you don't feel right about a thing. Just say no. And if the doctor is not on the same page with you, send him on his way. My surgeon however, was great. I had no problems with him at all. I really liked hearing from the nurses on the floor that he really cares for his patient. He is a patient advocate. I am really glad that I had the surgery. It is not a cure all but it is a great tool for gettin some control over bad eating habits that left uncontrolled will kill you and give you health problems.

He is a very patient and kind doctor. I am an Operating Room nurse and had him reviewed by my friends prior to choosing him. They were all impressed with his technical skills. This is a complicated procedure and you are looking at a monitor while working. He works well with his surgical crew and post op with the nurses on the floor. His number one goal is your safety. If anything makes him uncomfortable he will not stop until it is the way it should be. For example he has special rooms that are designed for obesity patients, and he puts his patients there. He put me in SICU after surgery, but he does not always. He makes his normal rounds to see patients and then he even calls you in the room to check on you. At my six month check up I had lost about 79 pounds. He was proud, kind, and encouraging me to meet my goal. His office staff are great. Sonya is one of us, but hers was done up North and open laparotomy. Your can talk to her about anything. The dietician is the best you will find. She truelly wants you to understand your diet and stay healthy. She is someone that you can honestly describe your feelings to and she lets you know that you are not alone. She also called me at home for a check in.

I don't know where to begin. Dr. Mailapur and his staff have changed my life already. From the first office visit to my 14 day check up they have been there for me all the way. I looked at other Dr.'s in town and found Dr. Mailapur to be the most genuine of all of them. He absolutely cares about his patients. If you are in Huntsville or the Tennessee Valley and are even thinking about having this procedure, be sure to do yourself a favor and visit Dr. Mailapur. I've dropped 30lbs in the first two weeks and by giving my life to his program for the next 12 mos I am going to reap the wonder reward of health. God Bless you Dr. Mailapur, your family and your staff.

I was impressed with his informational seminar. He answered our questions about gastric by-pass. He is very knowledgable and spoke in layman's language, so we could understand. My impression of him is still of the highest degree. He is very thorough and cautious. His staff is very friendly, and anxious to answer any questions I have. I didn't dislike anything about him. Future patients should know he takes his profession very seriously, and he expects them to do their part, by following his instructions.
Dr. Mailapur stresses aftercare and provides a structured aftercare program. He warns about the risks of surgery and stresses the absence of any guarantees. I rate Dr. Mailapur as outstanding overall. My sister had the surgery by another Dr. who wasn't nearly as thorough as Dr. Mailapur. His surgical competence and bedside manner are both great. I felt like I had a friend doing the surgery.

Dr. Mailapur is a very professional and informed Doctor!! He always makes sure you understand everything, and has time for questions!!
Dr. Mailapur's staff is so wonderful, I can't say enough good things about them. They really get you ready for the new life you are going to have.
Dr. Mailapur and his staff really want you to understand everything that will happen, they have support groups and they were always there when I needed them!!
Dr. Mailapur and his staff are a 10++++++

Well, Post-op:
Dr Mailapur came to see me 3 times a day he was very nice made sure I did everything I should have!! He was great!! Dr Mailapur and his staff came to check on me and that made me feel so good!! Thank you so much!!

One of the things I liked about Dr. Mailapur's approach is the informational seminar he gives regarding the surgery. His presentation covers the pitfalls of being obese and how the gastric bypass can be a tool to correct obesity. He's completely upfront in letting you know that that like any surgery, there can be complications and he goes through each in detail.

At his office, his staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and I have never felt like I've been rushed whatsoever.

Dr. Mailapur was with me every step of the way before and after my surgery. I've never been given so many contact numbers by a physician and he stresses that you can call him at ANYTIME with any concerns. While I did have some minor complications one night, he was continually there at the hospital with me in the middle of the night monitoring me instead of just having the hospital staff page him and getting updates over the phone. I'd have to say that Dr. Mailapur possesses the perfect combination of surgical competence and bedside manner.

My aftercare has been wonderful. I've followed his and his nutritionist's instructions and I've shed so much weight!