USC Verdugo Hills Hospital Hospital
My surgeon was Dr. Katkhouda at the USC Medical Center. He is the surgeon that my HMO (PacifiCare) works with, so I had no choice. It turns out he is a brilliant surgeon, so I lucked out.
I actually heard him before I met him. He was in the next room doing a consult. He left the door open & I listened. Why not? You can't have enough information!LOL He ended up turning the patient away because he said he needed a more radical surgery than the RNY.
My first "face to face" meeting with him was tense. He is not exactly the lovable type and does not suffer fools gladly. And while I don't believe I am a fool, he was not impressed with me. On one future meeting with him he actually raised his voice to me. However, after surgery he seemed a different guy. He actually held my cheek in his hand and told me how happy he was for me.
He addressed everything he should of in my consult. Risks, benefits, aftercare.
His staff is OVERWORKED!!! It takes forever to get a real live person on the phone and forget about scheduling a surgery date any time this year!
DR. K: surgical competence: 10/10
bedside manne: 7.5/10
My first impression is that he was very impressed by himself. Quote " I Love people like you" Any way I choose him for his quality of work not his bedside manner. Since the last time that I saw him was May 2003 I see that he has changed his tune some.
When he came over to see me before and after the surgery he was very pleasant but straight to the point. He had his fellow go over all of the risks of the surgery and handle any questions that I had. I think that he is a wonderful surgeon and a brillant doctor he just needs to lighten up.
What was your first impression of him? He look younger then the picture I saw him before the meeting.
How did your impression change over time?
Well not a thing so far because am waiting for a Sx date.
What did you like least about him? That we didnot talk for a long period of time, we talked for about 15mins or less. I wished it was more time to talk to him.
What should future patients know about him? He have way too many patients, he so triple book with so many people trying to see him so it's going to be a long wait.
The first time I saw Dr. Katkhouda was at a mandatory weight loss seminar conducted by USC Hospital before they will accept you as a patient. I thought he was intelligent and articulate. At the time, he was one of only two surgeons at the hospital that conducted gastric bypass surgeries laproscopically. He had performed thousands of these surgeries and explained the procedure in layman's terms. An excellent speaker and great doctor. When I met him in person during my first one-on-one visit, my impression did not change -- I still found him to be intelligent, somewhat personable but pre-occupied and unable to devote personal individual care to his patients. His office staff was also efficient and well versed in this procedure explaining in great detail the risks of the surgery. His physician assistant at the time was wonderful although she has now moved on to another department. I feel this leaves a definite gap in personal contact. That impression played out all through the before care, hospital stay and aftercare. His nutrionist is very intelligent and has done her homework although I would like to have met her on a one-on-one basis but this has never been offered to me. I have spoken to her a few times on the phone and she is very good about returning phone calls and answering questions. Gastric bypass surgery is an invasive life-threatening procedure, and I thank God every day that I am here to talk about it without too many complications and this is thanks to Dr. Katkhouda and his staff. Dr. Katkhouda is a brilliant surgeon and his fellow physician, Dr. Cohen, is excellent. However, he tends to be arrogant in his comments and his weight loss goals for his patients can be unrealistic. For example, I was on a diuretic before surgery to control my blood pressure and Dr. Cohen and Dr. Katkhouda told me to resume it two days after surgery. My PCP pointed out to me after surgery that this is a danger and would dehydrate me, make me hold on to water and cause no weight loss. After I lost only one pound the second week after surgery, I mentioned this to Dr. Katkhouda. Surprisingly, he did not take the use of the diuretic seriously and instead told me to up my water intake and stop eating 'fatty foods' because he 'had done everything he could to make me lose weight' and losing only one pound must be because I was eating the wrong food. This was simply not true. I wasn't eating any 'fatty foods.' His idea of upping water intake meant I needed to take in a minimum of ten glasses of water a day. This is an impossible task as a new bypass patient. Sips of water are all you can have which may only add up to one or two glasses initially. I initially listened to Dr. Katkhouda, became depressed and also extremely dehydrated and had to self-diagnose myself away from the diuretics before I ended up in the emergency room. The same goes for Vioxx which is known to cause bleeding and ulcers in GBS patients. I mentioned this to Dr. Kathouda because he told me to resume this medication two weeks after surgery and he out and out disputed this although the bleeding and ulcers were not only pointed out by my PCP but is well-documented by other surgeons. It pays to be well-informed about aftercare with Dr. Kathouda because the buck stops with him after surgery. Dr. Katkhouda is not quick to encourage but instead will make you feel it's your fault if you have not lost the weight HE feels should be gone. His bedside manner is wanting. Overall though, he is an excellent surgeon. If I had a choice between an incompetent surgeon who patted your hand every minute and one who knew what he was doing when he held my life in his hands but found it hard to give you a kind word of encouragement no matter how much you lose [1 pound or 10 pounds], I would take the competent surgeon. If you happen to be using Dr. Katkhouda, I suggest you join a support group both online and offline that will help you over the rough periods and ensure that your PCP knows you inside and outside because you will not get the aftercare you need from this doctor.
i love dr katkhouda,
he has been wonderful since the very first time we meet!as far as his office staff well they are ok but there is one very special girl (letty) she is the best! she has been so helpful! when i first met the dr. he gave me all the info i needed to make this decision i felt very confident going to him he is straight foward and some people may not like that but he speaks the truth. so future patients should know just do as he says and everything should go smooth.
his surgocal competence is fenamenal and his bedside manners were great he is a very sweet and caring man.
i'm so happy he did my surgery i have so far had no problems.i would rate him a perfect 10!
thank you patty rex lay rny 9/25/03
I see that someone wrote of one person who had a problem during their surgery with Dr K. I am wondering if I am that person. During my surgery two of his tools became stuck while doing the laproscopic surgery. All he had to do was to cut between the tools. That just ment I left with both scars from the lap and full cut. A bit extra sore. I do have a problem now though. I was 373 pounds. I only lost down to 278. Went to another dr who put a scope inside of me. He said I have one of the biggest pouchs he has seen. Now I am wondering if it is from the problem.
I would go back to him in a heartbeat. He has made my life a million times better.
I have choosen Dr Katkhouda because of the fact he accepts Blue Cross Medi-cal and can get me in faster than the others. I had my consult on Aprril 18. I have heard some people say that he was running late. I was in and out of the office in no more than an hour. I have gone to my PCP and spent more time. I liked him alot. He went out to meet my mother after I told him she also wanted the surgery. He told her to come to him. That way with the same dr. we might have the same (don't think of the word) problems and stuff. He liked to do family's together. My mom liked him also. She decided to stay with her dr since the process was already started. His staff!! Boy they need a bit of help. Anna has acted like I was annoying her. I call other people now. The others like Pricilla and Hillary are ok. If you want something done make sure you make a pest of yourself till they do it!!!
I first met Dr Katkhouda at the USC bariatric surgery orientation, and I was very impressed with him. He gave a lot of imformation in a short time, did it in a humorous way, and convinced me the lap RNY was the proedure for me.
His office staff, while being personable and caring, is stretched so thin that they cannot meet the needs of their pre op patients, which really is a matter of paperwork. Having worked for surgeons for 25 yrs myself, I know what it takes. I would suggest potential patients be aware of this and be prepared to "handle it" as much as possible, themselves. His PA, Hillary, has to fill so many shoes I'm amazed she can accomplish anything. As a 2 wk post op patient, it will be interesting to see how it goes.
My main concern about surgery with Dr Katkhouda was that there was NO aftercare info given pre operatively. Other than a discussion by the surgeons at the orientation about clear liquids and mushy foods for 6 wks, there was nothing given out or said about it. I wondered, and am still wondering, what to expect. I believe a pre op visit with the nutritionist would be valuable, along with the other tests, so that patients would really KNOW what they're getting into and what to expect.
Dr Katkhouda addressed the risks of surgery very thoroughly, both at the orientation and with me in his office.
I rate him very highly, both pre operatively and now. I went to him, specifically, because he is a laparoscopic surgeon/teacher and because USC is a teaching hospital.
Dr Katkhouda's surgical competence and bedside manner are great! I am pleased to highly recommend him to anyone.
My first impression of Dr. K was great!
He took the time to actually listen to my concerns and gave me honest and answers that were to the point. This is a man that really cares about this procedure and the people he can save!
I have heard from a lot of other people that it is hard to work with his office staff (lack of support with working with insurance companies). I asked Dr. K about this... he said that his office is very busy, but he is working on improving this issue. Personally, I feel that he is the best so - yes you are going to have a wait a little bit to get the best!!
I have also read that his bedside manner could be improved on but I totally disagree! I thought he was funny! He is direct, and I think some people find that a little rude, but I thought he was wonderful!
I started my discovery and research by going to Alvarado Clinic in San Diego (Carnie Wilson's Dr. Group). I was impressed with the presentation but the doctors did not take United Healthcare and the initial outlay was about $4,000. Then I started researching this website and learned about the Duodenal Switch, so I went to USC's orientation with Dr. Anthone and Dr. Katkhouda. I deliberated quite a while before I opted for the lap RNY over the DS surgery. Mostly because of the recovery time, the lower complication with hernias and I just thought it sounded easier. So I had a consult with Dr. Katkhouda, a very renown laparoscopic surgeon, and I was convinced more than ever that this was the procedure and Dr. I wanted. My consult was on 12/12/02, my pre-op tests were completed by 3/15 and my surgery is scheduled for May 16, 2003. The only complaint I have (pre-op) is the lack of attention from the staff and that is totally because they are swamped with surgery requests and they are very understaffed. No one holds your hand to get everything done - you have to be very pushy and assertive or you end up on the bottom of the stack.
Well, I had posted previously about Dr. K and his staff under a different account. I was having problems updating so here goes again. Up until today I had great confidence in the doctor but was concerned about follow-up with the staff. I can now tell you I feel 100% better about having the surgery. Dr. K has been wonderful about responding to me personally and answering all questions that I have thrown at him even about administrative issues. There was a slight break down in communication with the office's message exchange and my messages had not been getting through to the staff. I have no doubt that Dr. K. is a wonderful surgeon and he has so far proven to be very responsive and caring about his patients. One word of advice is to stay persistant however with his office. So far everything seems to be going well. I don't know what his follow up program is like, I am told I will be advised about that after surgery. I will post more as more information is available.