USC Verdugo Hills Hospital Hospital

Staff were professional and very attentive. They went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed and helped me every step of the way.

My surgery was on Dec. 3, 08. I met Dr. \"K\" in an orientation, and from there picked him. Alot of people had said that his abruptness was tough. But, you want someone who is the best, and I feel he is. When you have a roux-en-y you want someone who gives you the dirty along with the sweet. I felt fully informed by the time I went in. There are issues that he has to cover, and he doesn't sugarcoat them. I felt fully trusted with him. Like alot of surgeons they are not great on \"bedside manner\", but like something Dr. K. himself said, \"when you have a pilot flying you across country...do you want someone who is chewing the fat before the flight with all the passengers, or someone who is at the cockpit, studying and getting ready for the flight\". I want the later. It's the same with someone who is re-arranging your stomach and intenstines. I never saw him the day of the surgery but saw his Fellow, Dr. Wu, and many others. Dr. Wu was great, straighforward and concerned. The entire program is great. The protocal is followed to a T. Great follow-up and concern for their patients

I waited for the best in the industry and got it. Dr. Katkhouda has got excellent credentials and the reputation as the doctor that other doctors and nurses go to for treatment. He completed my surgery on 5/20/08 and I feel great. I chose a minimally invasive Roux-en-Y. I had no issues. I refused pain medication the next morning in the hospital, did my required laps, and did not need to fill my prescription for pain after going home. I feel so good that if it weren’t for the tiny incision scars and my clothes falling off me, I wouldn’t believe I had surgery. I actually went to work for a couple of hours on the 2nd day after surgery. I saw one patient described Dr Katkhouda as dry, but I ask you, do you want the guy with the knife in his hand to be the class clown or the smartest, most professional, most competent guy in the room??? My path to weight loss surgery was bumpy though. Years ago, when I first mentioned surgery my friends and family couldn’t have been more negative. Everyone had a story about a person dying on the table. I didn’t think that their attitude had an impact, but as I did my research and began meeting doctors I realized that I was more nervous than I realized. I interviewed a half dozen doctors before selecting Dr Katkhouda, including one I saw on television who was famous for working with Roseanne. While many were good I didn’t feel confident putting my life in their hands. In the first orientation at USC they talked about personal responsibility and health. They weren’t selling a quick fix. In fact Dr. Katkhouda, his associates, nurses, and dietician provided me with so much education about my procedure, health, and nutrition that I began studying on my own. They’ve changed my lifestyle and I know I’ll keep the weight off for life now. The only issue I encountered was the wait time. My first surgery date was schedule a few months out than rescheduled. Then I had to reschedule because I changed insurance carriers. But to their credit they then pushed me right thru. A final note- Sheri who gets your insurance approval is a saint. She would call me and I’d be busy at work and snap at her and she would be sweet as pie. If I couldn’t get a person on the phone she’d call on 3-way. She deserves a medal.

Dr.Katkhouda is an excellent surgeon, one of the best. I was one of his early patients. I had absolutely no problems or issues and a very fast recovery from lap rny. At the time I had my surgery, 2003 he didn't have much after support available. I think he does now.rnrnHe and his staff were professional, courteous and very very competent.rnrn

I thought he was great when I first met him 4 years ago. I still think he is very on top of his field and feel completely comfortable with him and the work he did on me this June 17th, 2008. Along with his stafff who tried very hard to make my surgery a success and tat was wonderful! USC was a pleasant experience for me, and if anyone I know or meet who wants to have this surgery done I will suggest they see him! He was very straightforward ad does give great after care instructions and emphasis on making all my after care appt's and even before the surgery his whole team were all very thorough with me about the risks of surgery and what a huge life change it would be! I would say he is a top notch Doctor and especially in his field!! He was very kind and patient and listened very well to my persona concerns and I felt very confident in his abilities to take great care of me! Surgica; competence is the most important of all - having someone know what they are doing !! A little bed side manner doesn't hurt either, and I liked his. He is a no nonsens kind of Doctor and I think that is what people misunderstand. He does care and show concern for his patients - if he didn't he would not have such a good team working along side him there!!rnNor would he be so successful at his surgeries!! rnP.s. I only had one slight dislie which was not about him, it was about the nurse that cared for me after the surgery in the hospital, she just seemed to be mentally somewhere else and almost pulled my IV out 3 seperate times, and then she forgot to bring me the things I needed and keep my pain in check, other than that the other nurses were fantastic.rnTHANKSrnI loved my Dr. Katkhouda for his expertise.rnsincerely, rnMs. Farris

I had my surgery on 4/22/08. I felt very...very blessed to have one of the best surgeons in the world to perform my surgery. My surgery time was moved up by about six weeks because some one canceled. I was called on the 15th and asked if I'd like to have my surgery in a week. rnDr Katkhouda's staff worked very hard to get everything done...include the insurance approval and my PACE appointment within four days of the call.rn I like Dr. Katkhouda very much and as long as I do what he says......I know everything will go well.

Very good, he made a recommendation to me to go with the bariatric surgery instead of the lapband. I didn't think I would ever agree to it, but I'm putting my trust in him. I'm scheduled for surgery 4/30.

Dr. Katkhouda is to the point serious dr. about this surgery. He beleives in what he's doing and changing people's lives, one person at a time. I had surgery in January of 2008 and have no complications. He's competent and self assured and is a leading doctor with the RNY surgery. I have been nothing but impressed with his knowledge and overwhelmed by this amazing process!

My first impression of Dr. Katkhouda was that he was exremely knowledgeable in the field of bariatric surgery and a perfectionist who had clear cut demands for his patients. I went to the seminar planning on having a Lap Band surgery and left the seminar wanting a Gastric Bypass. I didn't want to go through surgery and risk slippage, erosion, or obstruction because if I was gonna go through surgery I didn't want it reversed for any reason, at it seemed that Dr. Katkhouda was able to note less complications with the Bypass surgery. My impression over the last year has not waivered. His office staff has always been helpful but I must say I have felt more rushed by his staff than the doctor himself who has always taken his time with me. I am one of Dr. Katkhouda's biggest fans. Dr. Katkhouda has always been honest about what I should expect and what he has expected of me. I was required to lose 15 pounds prior to surgery as all his patients in order to shrink the liver. I first contacted him in June for a price quote, rather than his staff returning my call, he did so personally. I informed him I needed the surgery in August due to my work schedule, he said we'd be cutting it close but he made it happen. I saw him for the first time in July, all of my questions and fears were addressed, as well as preop tests and aftercare. August 3, 2006 I had a gastric bypass. Surgery took longer than expected but Dr. Katkhouda went and spoke with my family immediately after surgery. I was in some pain after surgery but surprisingly it was only my back that hurt. The nurse informed me it wasn't unusual because of the hard operating table. I was nauseated from the blood in my stomach but nursing staff was very diligent with giving me medication as needed. The only negative was hospital construction so it was very noisy. I was pleased that when I woke up the morning after surgery Dr. Katkhouda came to see me, what's not to be pleased about a man in a suit with a French accent who has just changed your entire life for the better? As of today I have lost 100 pounds, and am only about 10 pounds away from my goal. I have visited him for all of my follow up appointments and have never had very long of a wait. I would send friends, family and anyone who ever asks to Dr. Katkhouda, he is a genious in his field, my scars are barely visible, no complications at all, never sick, no pain, amazing bedside manner. This man is amazing. I would welcome any questions from prospective patients.

I was very pleased with my consultation with Dr. Katkhouda at USC University Hospital. Another person from this website shared her experience meeting him with me, which helped encourage me to remain positive. That helped put me in the right mind set. Him and his staff were extremely professional and kind. He was sincere and straightforward. I did my homework on him and the procedures he offers ahead of time and that impressed him. I found myself highly impressed by his credentials, especially by the French Legion of Honor Award he will recieve shortly, the highest award given in France, started by Napoleon. Both my parents are physicians and are extremely tough to win over, were quite astounded by his credentials. But more importantly, he focused on me and my needs. rnrnI'm in the process of figuring out what procdures I need to have done versus the one's I recently had done for an annual phyical I had. That's getting a little complicated and I wish it was a little more clearly presented by his office with some official documentation (that's what my PCP office said to me) but considering everything, I'm happy with how things have gone so far.